The Will of Fire Burns
by GetsugaMoon12
Summary: Jiraiya saves Naruto's life on his eleventh birthday and trains him in the shinobi arts and fuuinjutsu. Naruto hides his powers and everyone thinks he's just the dumb dead-last. Now, he is finally ready to show everyone how strong he really is. PAIRING NARUTO X HAREM (SHION, MEI, SHIZUKA, FU, KOYUKI)
1. Chapter 1

I've finally posted after a long time, eh? I wanted to write a story where Naruto received proper training in his early years if he was taught by Jiraiya (like it was supposed to be originally) before he had to attend his spy network. Then, I wanted Naruto to know his heritage as Minato's son so he accidentally discovers his father's estate.

**Chapter 1: **_Changes_

Naruto cried as he ran through the streets, a mob of villagers behind him. Today was his eleventh birthday and some of the villagers were determined to kill the 'demon' brat. However, luck wasn't on his side and Naruto came face-to-face with a rocky wall. "Where you gonna go now, demon boy?" one of the villagers smirked, knife in hand.

"Yeah, you're coming with us," another civilian stated. He ignited his lighter and a crazy grin marred his features. "You've cost us a lot of pain, demon! Now, we're going to get our revenge." They quickly stepped forward but Naruto managed to roll away from them.

"Yo, don't just stand there," the villagers barked to one another. "Let's get after him." They sprinted after the blonde. Naruto was running out of energy after another ten minutes had passed and he had met with another dead-end. He hoped that the villagers were some distance away so he could slip past and get back to his apartment.

"Where are ya going?" a voice said. Naruto turned around to see Mizuki there, smiling evilly at him. "I won't let you get away, Kyuubi no Yokou." The blonde's eyes widened as he heard the shinobi say that. He could almost hear the villagers yelling, 'demon' in his head. _So that's why they said that, _he realized.

"Exactly, Naruto," Mizuki laughed. "The man you look up to, the Yondaime, sealed the Kyuubi inside you when you were a newborn baby. Over time, it took over your body. YOU are the Nine-Tailed Fox." Naruto shook his head and yelled, "no, No, NO, NO, NO!" He released a large amount of chakra, causing Mizuki to raise an eyebrow.

"Let's see what you can do, Kyuubi," Mizuki said, taking off the shuriken. He jumped onto the roof of a building and threw the shuriken at Naruto. _Move, Move, Move, _the blonde's mind yelled at him but Naruto was frozen there. He was almost ready to pass out from getting hunted, running, and now this new revelation. Then, the strangest thing in the world happened.

Naruto fell to the ground as he was karate-chopped. Mizuki's eyes widened when his shuriken was caught. "L-L-Lord J-J-Jiraya," Mizuki said, looking at the man. Jiraiya stood there, looking pissed. He had arrived at Konoha since Sarutobi had asked his report on several organizations. And he came here to see his godson getting picked on by _shinobi._

"Mizuki," Jiraiya said with clenched teeth. "I am sure the Hokage would want to know why you were telling Naruto about the S-ranked secret and attempted to assassinate him." Mizuki raised his eyebrow and looked at Jiraiya for a moment before rushing away, moving at full speed.

"You're not getting away," Jiraiya's voice rang out and Mizuki felt a hand on his shoulder. Jiraiya threw him onto the ground, causing Mizuki to scream out in pain. The Toad Sage slammed his knee into the chunin's stomach, knocking him out instantly.

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu,**" Jiraiya yelled, summoning a shadow clone. Clone Jiraiya took Naruto's unconscious body and left to his apartment while Jiraiya took Mizuki and went to the Hokage's office. _I need to have a long talk with Sarutobi-sensei, _Jiraiya growled.

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"This is driving me insane," Sarutobi yelled. "ANBU, arrest all of the villagers that have attempted to kill Naruto Uzumaki. Do not fix their execution dates since the Civilian Council has asked to hold a trial first. Damn assholes the lot of them!" The ANBU nodded and left the room, eager to leave the enraged Hokage.

"Jiraiya, take a seat," Sarutobi said as he saw the man at the door. "You must report to me about-"

"Old man," Jiraiya exclaimed, throwing Mizuki to the floor. "Care to explain to me why you have villagers trying to kill Minato's son?! And why on earth are _your shinobi _attacking him?!"

"This is a long story," Sarutobi sighed. "It has been a long time since we last talked so you've missed out a lot. Do you remember our last meeting, ten years ago? Do you remember Minato's final wish?"

"Of course," Jiraiya snorted. "He wanted Naruto to be viewed as a hero that helped to take down the Kyuubi. Minato also didn't want Naruto to know about the Kyuubi unless it was something that was needed to be told off."

"That's right," Sarutobi sighed again. "Unfortunately, the villagers have come to view Naruto as the human form of the Kyuubi. They believe that their beloved Yondaime was killed by the Kyuubi, which has taken over Naruto's body."

"What bullshit," Jiraiya roared. "The Eight Trigrams Sealing Style is an absolute sealing technique; with that level of fuuinjutsu, the Kyuubi is severely restricted behind large bars and cannot 'take over Naruto's form.' The shinobi here should know this."

"You know how scarce the knowledge on fuuinjutsu is," Sarutobi said. "While I've tried hard, a lot of my shinobi share their views on Naruto. Unlike what Minato wanted, he was treated very badly by Konoha and it is a miracle he doesn't hate us for it." Jiraiya groaned and rubbed his eyes, holding his forehead for a moment.

"I'm training him," Jiraiya said, causing Sarutobi's pipe to drop from his mouth. "He needs to learn how to defend himself and I doubt the Academy teachers have taught him anything. Is he even in the Academy, old man?"

"But of course," Sarutobi said. "I'm hurt you don't have enough faith in me for enrolling him. However, all of the instructors, aside from Iruka Umino, hate Naruto and are more concerned with beating him up than teaching him. As a result, he has failed the Academy twice in a row."

"_Twice in a row?_" Jiraiya yelled. "Even I only failed the Academy once; how lax have you been, Sarutobi-sensei?" The Sandaime's face became red and he released a significant amount of chakra, pushing against Jiraiya's own. "It hasn't been easy leading Konoha, Jiraiya," Sarutobi said. "If you think you can control the Civilian Council and shinobi, why didn't you become the Godaime Hokage?"

"You know about my spy network, old man," Jiraiya said, equally stern. "If I were to abandon that, you wouldn't get any new information of what Orochimaru has been up to and other organizations plotting against us. I've already begun to inform you about Akatsuki."

"Alright, fine," Sarutobi relented, his chakra pressure receeding. "You can teach Naruto but only after tomorrow. The reason why-"

"Spare me, old man," Jiraiya stood up. "I know that you need the Civilian Council to know otherwise you'll be in a shitload of trouble later on. Make sure he receives his punishment!" He nudged Mizuki's still body before leaving. Sarutobi saw his former student leave and slumped into his chair, sighing heavily.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What is this meeting for, Hiruzen?" Homura asked. The Civilian Council was the council body of Konoha and had the shinobi clan-heads with their advisors, civilian heads, Danzo and his two bodyguards, and the Elders with two bodyguards each.

"I have called you all," Sarutobi said. "To discuss the matter of the villagers that assaulted Naruto Uzumaki, last night. Elders, let us hear your opinion."

"Hiruzen," Koharu sighed. "You know that the civilians will not get over their fear of the Kyuubi. It has corrupted their hearts and it is too late to stop now. Besides, condemning these villagers will only result in the uproar of the non-shinobi community." Homura wordlessly nodded, agreeing with Koharu.

"Non-shinobi community?" Sarutobi asked, chuckling slightly. "I'm sorry, Koharu, Homura, but there were shinobi that attacked Naruto as well."

"Impossible," Homura said. "Our shinobi understand the wishes of the Yondaime and how-"

"Please stop, Homura," Sarutobi said, holding out his hand. "Mizuki, a chunin of our forces, attacked Naruto last night after he had escaped from the mob of villagers hunting him."

"How did he survive?" Shikaku asked. "Naruto doesn't have the necessary skills to evade a chunin. He would have to know really strong jutsus and Naruto's failed the Academy twice already."

"You're right, Shikaku," Sarutobi puffed. "It was none other than Jiraiya of the Sannin, my former student. He returned from his spy mission earlier than planned since I requested his presence. He was very ashamed on how Naruto has been treated by the villagers for the Kyuubi he carries."

"CARRIES?" a loud voice yelled out. "HE DOESN'T CARRY THE KYUUBI, HOKAGE-SAMA; HE **IS **THE KYUUBI." The pink-haired woman was recognized as Haruno of the Civilian Committee. The other people there also began to agree but they fell into their seats when Sarutobi released a considerable amount of killing intent.

"Do **not **call him the Kyuubi, please," Sarutobi said, anger evident in his voice. "Naruto is more important to this village than you could possibly understand. Jiraiya has realized this and decided to take Naruto as his apprentice."

"That is no wise, Hiruzen," Danzo spoke up, causing everyone to look at him. "Naruto Uzumaki should be given to Root instead; we will unlock his hidden potential and use the Kyuubi to the best of our ability. Konoha can take its place as the strongest of the Hidden Villages, once again."

"Naruto is **not **a weapon," Sarutobi insisted. "Why can't you people just forget that he has anything to do with the Kyuubi? Why can't you treat him as an innocent eleven-year-old boy that is suffering?"

"That's impossible, Hokage-sama," one of the civilians shouted. "The Kyuubi is simply waiting for you to be lax in your judgement. Naruto died when he was baby; the eleven-year-old we see is the Kyuubi that has taken over the child's body." Sarutobi was about to reply sharply when he was interrupted.

"EXACTLY, HOKAGE-SAMA," Haruno-san yelled. "JIRAIYA-SAMA SHOULD BE TEACHING SASUKE UCHIHA. HE IS THE LAST LOYAL UCHIHA OF THE VILLAGE AND IS PREPARING TO REVIVE HIS CLAN." There were many supporting shouts from the Civlian part while Sarutobi clenched his teeth.

"She's right, Hiruzen," Koharu said, causing Sarutobi to look at her in shock. "Instead of wasting our time with the Uzumaki, Jiraiya should take Sasuke as an apprentice. He will need a large number of jutsus once he has activated his Sharingan and Jiraiya's frog-style taijutsu can also help Sasuke immensely."

"And what about Naruto?" Sarutobi asked, disbelieving that his former teammates would favor Sasuke like that. The boy had changed after the Uchiha Massacre and he only cared about killing Itachi, although Jiraiya, Danzo, and the Elders knew the truth behind it.

"That's easy," Homura stated. "Like Danzo suggested, we give the Uzumaki to him and he can draw out the Kyuubi from the boy. If he becomes trained well, then Naruto will become our secret weapon while Sasuke becomes the strongest Uchiha from being trained by a Sannin."

"Oh, but I refuse," Jiraya's voice boomed out. He walked through the main door, a calm expression on his face. "I want to teach Naruto Uzumaki specifically." The entire Civilian Committee began talking about that while Danzo, Koharu, and Homura had disapproving looks on their faces. The shinobi part were also discussing with their advisors about this.

"But why, Jiraiya?" Koharu asked. "Sasuke Uchiha is a faster learner than Naruto Uzumaki and he is exceptional at taijutsu and ninjutsu for an Academy student. You have an affinity to Fire Style and he is an Uchiha, who are known for their affinity to fire. You can teach him your special collaboration techniques."

"Why would I want to teach the Uchiha kid?" Jiraiya scoffed, shaking his head at the Elders' stupidity. "He may have flashy jutsu and talent but Naruto has one thing that the Uchiha doesn't have. He's got the guts to never give up, even after there were _thirty _villagers hunting him down. And that's what being a shinobi comes down to."

"That's nonsense," Homura said. "He is an Uchiha and must learn all of your jutsu. If he doesn't, then the last Sharingan in the world will be lost. He will-"

"-turn up just like Orochimaru," Jiraiya finished, creating silence in the council. "Orochimaru was the same and had all of this talent. All of you had Sarutobi-sensei teach Orochimaru while I was neglected! What did that get you? He's a missing-nin now and is conspiring against us; if anything, Sasuke is even more unstable than Orochimaru was at his age. Lusting for power to kill his brother, are you serious?"

"Please elaborate on that, Jiraiya-sama," one of the civlians said. "He is absolutely perfect! My daughter says that when he smiles, he-" She never finished since Jiraiya had knocked her out with a burst of chakra. "There is nothing to say," Jiraiya said. "I will teach Naruto Uzumaki and not Sasuke Uchiha. We can begin the training today." Having said that, Jiraiya used the Body Flicker Jutsu to leave the room in an instant.

"Well, you heard him," Sarutobi said. "And I have decided that the villagers that tried to attack Naruto will all be put in prison for attempted murder. Mizuki will be executed tomorrow since he did something that he should never have done, given his rank and status. This meeting is adjourned."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto woke up and stretched his legs. _It smells like home, _the blonde thought. _Mizuki-sensei killed me; does Death smell like my aparment? _Then, he realized that he was lying on his bed and fresh air blew over his face. Naruto dashed up and looked around to see that he was in his apartment.

"Yo, how's this possible?" Naruto said to himself. He remembered Mizuki throwing his shuriken at Naruto and then, feeling extreme pain. Yet he was not dead! _What time is it? _Naruto looked at his clock, his eyes widening. The clock read 8:15 AM, meaning he only had fifteen minutes to go to the Academy.

Naruto gave a yelp and brushed his teeth quickly. Then, he ate some instant ramen for breakfast and an apple which he had bought two days ago. Once he had finished his breakfast, Naruto dashed into the bathroom and took a fast shower. He came out and put on his trademark orange jumpsuit.

"Good morning, class," Iruka greeted as he entered the class. Fortunately, Naruto had made it in a few minutes ago. "This is your first day of the Academy. We will begin with an introductory exam and then, you will be sparring against each other." Naruto frowned when he saw a group of girls clouded around the new student, Sasuke Uchiha.

_What's so great about him? _Naruto wondered. He bet that this Sasuke probably couldn't do anything besides look handsome and serious. "Heh, I'm stronger than him," Naruto said to himself. He hoped that he got paired with Sasuke in the sparring so he could beat the Uchiha's ass.

For Naruto, the introductary exam was incredibly easy; he had been at the Academy for the past two years and knew all of the classrooms and tests. His best subjects were shinobi arts and history, although Naruto liked mathematics more than he let on. However, it gave his brain massive headaches and _that _was annoying.

"Okay," Iruka called when they were outside. "This is the sparring part. The first match is Kiba Inuzuka against Shino Aburame." Two of the new students stepped forward. Shino was hooded and did not show much; he wore dark sunglasses and analysed everything. Kiba was the opposite. He grinned arrogantly and... had brought his dog with him.

Shino won the fight since he had found out Kiba's fighting flaw: his recklessness. Taking advantage of that, Shino got under Kiba's guard and delivered the final blow to him. Akamaru had been a problem since Iruka had allowed the dog to participate in the battle. But since Shino's skeleton was filled with beetles, Akamaru didn't like biting Shino.

"So Shino's better at taijutsu, eh?" Iruka wrote it down in his teacher notes. "Alright, next match is Sakura and Ino." The two girls glared at each other as they stepped forward. _Wow, she's cute, _Naruto thought as he saw Sakura. He loved the mane of pink hair she had and how soft her hands looked. Man, he was falling for her badly.

Ino ended up winning the fight since she had longer arms than Sakura and slightly quicker reflexes. She dodged Sakura's broad punches at the last second and reached Sakura under her arms, resulting in a win for her. "Interesting," Iruka said as he wrote that down. "Alright, the next mach is..."

Naruto continued watching the fights and got anxious for his own fight. He wondered who he would be placed with. "Everyone's gone except two," Iruka said. "The final match is Sasuke against Naruto." Naruto could hear the girls cheering for Sasuke and grinned. _Heh, if I beat him then people will like me instead, _the blonde looked at the stoic Uchiha. _It's my time to shine!_

Naruto gave a roar and charged at Sasuke, throwing a punch. In a blur, Sasuke batted aside his fist and wrapped his right leg around Naruto's before tripping him. As Naruto fell to the floor, Sasuke came down and held his fist in front of Naruto's face. _What the, _Naruto thought. _This guy... he has the same eyes... as me. _And sure enough, there was a massive sea of sadness in Sasuke's eyes that Naruto knew all too well.

"Well that's enough," Iruka said. "Sasuke wins." He felt bad for Naruto, especially since they had ramen together and the blonde had failed twice, but it couldn't be helped. Sasuke had been trained from a young age by his clansmen and it was no surprise that he was amazingly good at taijutsu. "Let's go inside, guys," Iruka said, leading them inside the Academy again.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes as he saw Naruto's fight. He wanted to gather as much information on Naruto's skills as possible before training him. But it was clear that Naruto just sucked at fighting; his strikes were broad and easy to deflect and he kept his legs immobile throughout the fight. Kenjutsu did not seem like the style for Naruto so Jiraiya would just teach him the Toad Style.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto grumbled angrily as the day finished. He couldn't believe how Sasuke had outclassed him! And then, he had even gotten his ninjutsu moves perfectly. On the other hand, Naruto couldn't do it yet and he was quite misreable compared to the rest of his class. _Why am I not improving?! _the blonde thought, agitated.

"Yo, Naruto," Iruka said, causing the blonde to turn around. "The Hokage wants to talk to you. It's about your training. Oh, by the way, want some ramen later?" Naruto's face lit up as he heard Iruka's sentence; maybe the old man had finally decided to train Naruto to become the next Hokage.

"Sure, Iruka-sensei," Naruto laughed. "I'll be at Ichiraku Ramen at 7 PM, alright?" Iruka chuckled at Naruto's enthusiasm and nodded, leaving the classroom. Naruto slowly left the Academy, still thinkiing about the various jutsu the Hokage would teach him.

"Sandaime-jiji," Naruto yelled as he opened the door. "I hear you wanted to talk to me?" Sarutobi was inside and did not have any visitors so the aged Sandaime nodded, gesturing for Naruto to take a seat. The blonde hummed and relaxed into the seat.

"I've finally decided to take your training seriously, Naruto," Sarutobi said. "Consider this as training to become the next Hokage." Naruto's smile deepened since his daydreams were coming alive; the strong and knowledgeable Sandaime would take him as an apprentice and then...

"Your sensei is not me, to get that clear," Sarutobi said casually. Naruto gave a roar and glared at the old man for ruining his daydreams. "Then who is it?" the blonde asked impatiently. "I hope it's not that pervert Ebisu." Sarutobi chuckled as he thought of his Tokubetsu Jonin.

"No, it's not Ebisu," Sarutobi assured. "His name is Jiraiya. Does it strike a bell?" He didn't expect Naruto to know this since he never listened at the Academy; he did not disappoint. Naruto shook his head and Sarutobi just sighed, "He's one of the Legendary Sannin, my former students. They were well-known across the globe and Jiraiya is the strongest of them."

"Are you serious?" Naruto asked. "Awesome, I get a legendary ninja as a teacher. Yes! YES! YES!"

"Don't get so cheerful," Sarutobi warned. "He's only here for short periods of time and will leave very occasionally. Also, do not expect him to be a very devoted teacher. Jiraiya is, after all, the author of the Icha Icha Paradise books."

"Aw, no," Naruto held his head in his hands. "My new teacher is a pervert who writes smut; could this day get any worse?"

"Hey, hey," Sarutobi said. "Jiraiya is incredibly strong, seriously speaking. His taijutsu and ninjutsu skills are very great and he likes the people that work very hard. So people such as you. That's why he didn't take Sasuke Uchiha as an apprentice and took you instead." Naruto was shocked since he wondered who would pass up the oppurtunity to teach that kid but it made him feel good inside.

"Where can I find Ero-Sennin?" Naruto asked. Sarutobi laughed at the nickname since it described Jiraiya's character perfectly.

"Well," Sarutobi said after he re-composed himself. "He's very hard to locate but I would tell you to try out the hot springs. If you see a man, looking through a telescope at the women, then that's Jiraiya." Naruto groaned as he was going to have a pervert as a teacher.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto arrived at the hot springs and looked around, trying to spot somebody with the Sandaime's description. He was about to give up when he noticed it. Naruto moved a bit higher and sure enough, there was an old man who was peeping on the girls with a green telescope. Now, Naruto was Konoha's biggest prankster for a reason and Jiraiya was about to find out why.

Naruto waited a bit before he initated his plans; he threw a large smoke bomb into the hot spring, creating a lot of smoke. "What the hell?" Jiraiya cursed as he looked up from his telescope. Then, he felt wires wrap around his body. Before he could react, Jiraiya was dragged into the hot springs.

"HEY, EVERYONE," Naruto yelled. "THIS PERVERT'S BEEN SPYIING ON YOU GUYS." The women began to scream and fled the hot springs, leaving a nose-bleeding Jiraiya there. _How'd you like that, Ero-Sennin? _Naruto thought as he laughed at the old man.

"So it was you," Jiraiya roared. "Do you not know who I am; I'm the Toad Sage, straight from Mount Myobokuzan, and the great Gallant Jiraiya, as well." He saw Naruto looking at him with narrowed eyes. "What?" the Toad Sage asked his soon-to-be student.

"You're Ero-Sennin," Naruto said, smiling when Jiraiya's face fell. "And you're the author of the smut series, Icha Icha Paradise." Jiraiya slumped even lower to the ground before he got up again. "Man," he said. "You'll be a tough kid to teach. But also, quite fun since I also like pranks."

"Are you serious?" Naruto asked, sitting down beside Jiraiya. "What pranks have you done?"

"Well, there are a few," Jiraiya said, thinking back to his days as a teenager. He began to tell Naruto about the times when he dyed Tsunade's hair, messed with Sarutobi's clothes, make a mustache on Orochimaru's face, and more. Naruto listened to them and told Jiraiya of his pranks to Sarutobi and Konoha ninja.

"Oh, man, I can imagine his reaction," Jiraiya said, as Naruto told him about his prank on Sarutobi. "Now, we'd better discuss our training, eh?"

"Right, right," Naruto said, excited. "What are you going to teach me, Ero-Sennin?"

"Don't call me that," Jiraiya pouted. "And I'm going to spend this next year training you in taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu, and... fuuinjutsu."

"Fuuinjutsu?" Naruto frowned. "What's that? They don't teach those at the Academy."

"Only a few people know fuuinjutsu," Jiraiya said. "Me, the old man, the Yondaime, and his student, Kakashi. There are a few others but we're probably the master specialists with seals."

"Why are seals useful?" Naruto asked.

"It's a useful skill to learn," Jiraiya said. "You can literally seal things, even forms of chakra, by using seals. As you continue to study fuuinjutsu, you will discover that it makes you close to invincible."

"Nice," Naruto grinned. "With this, I'll become Hokage in no time. The Academy genins won't stand a chance against me-"

"Actually, Naruto," Jiraiya grimaced. "You'll need to keep your strength hidden and pretend that you're still the dead-last."

"WHAT?!" Naruto yelled, pointing a finger at Jiraiya. "Why the hell would I do that, Ero-Sennin?"

"I'm making you a shinobi," Jiraiya explained. "And deception is a shinobi's strongest tool; you need to deceive your classmates by pretending to be weak and I need you to get just enough grades to pass. In this way, people will underestimate you and with your real strength, you can easily take care of them. Don't worry, this year will pass soon."

Naruto imagined the incredulous looks of Sakura and Sasuke when he would show them his real power. But Naruto would have to wait until the Graduation Exam to do that. "Okay, fine," Naruto sighed. "I've gotta wait this year; what are we going to do now?"

"Well," Jiraiya thought for a moment. "You need to increase your knowledge so you will go to the library to read several things after our lessons. But, come on, let's start the first activity of the day." He grabbed Naruto and used the Body Flicker Jutsu to disappear in a swirl of leaves.

"What was that jutsu?" Naruto asked. "Did you teleport or something?"

"No, of course not," Jiraiya laughed. "I simply use chakra to energise my muscles and move at high speeds that are untraceable. Teleportation would include space-time ninjutsu, such as the Yondaime's Flying Thunder God Jutsu, since it utilizes the space-time continuum."

"Interesting," Naruto said. "So are you going to teach me it?"

"Not today, Naruto," Jiraiya smiled. "I've heard you have a lot of chakra. So you'll ge this technique quickly; it's a B-rank ninjutsu. It's known as the Shadow Clone Jutsu and its multiplied version, Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu." Naruto backs away from it and looks at Jiraiya.

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu,**" Jiraiya yelled and an identical Toad Sage appeared next to Naruto. "Unlike the Clone Jutsu, this technique summons real copies and relays information to the original after dispelling. This will take up more chakra but that shouldn't be a problem for you."

It was evening by the time Naruto learned this jutsu and he slumped to the ground, tired. "Good job, Naruto," Jiraiya said. "Here have this." The blonde took the ice-cream and began licking it, loving the cool taste after the hot day. He slurped it up and left for his apartment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Over the next few weeks, Naruto's skills developed from low-genin to high-genin levels. His body had also developed since Jiraiya had put gravity seals on him and showed him how to do them. It was his first fuuinjutsu lesson: gravity seals. However, the blonde had managed to understand their concept in two hours whereas it had taken Jiraiya around a day to learn them. "You have an affinity for fuuinjutsu," Jiraiya explained. "Not surprising, given your clan."

"I'm from a clan," Naruto was shocked. "I've never heard of the Uzumaki clan."

"How could you not?!" Jiraiya seemed angry. "I understand that they don't teach about it at the Academy but I would've thought Sarutobi-sensei would tell you about your heritage." _I can understand Minato, _the Toad Sage thought. _But he should at least know about Kushina and his clan._

"Alright, listen up," Jiraiya said, calmed down. "The Uzumaki clan was a ninja clan that founded the village of Uzushiogakure, in the Land of Whirlpools. Uzumaki ninja were tremendously strong; they were specialised in fuuinjutsu, wind and water ninjutsu. They were also great fighters and any Uzumaki genin could take our chunin; that was just how trained they were."

"What happened to them?" Naruto asked. "How come I've never heard of them if they're so good?"

"Unfortunately," Jiraiya sighed. "During the Shinobi Wars, many ninja found Uzushiogakure and the Uzumaki ninja a threat to the ninja world due to their immense powers. As a result, most of the clan became extinct and the village was destroyed. The Land of Whirlpools is now in ruins due to the destruction although there are some secrets still there."

"Secrets?" Naruto asked. "What do you mean? They've been dead for a long time."

"That's true," Jiraiya said. "But like I said, the Uzumaki clan specialised in fuuinjutsu so its possible that they sealed their great techniques in scrolls that are maybe somewhere underground. The Sandaime has purposely ordered the Konoha ninja not to explore the ruins since I think it should be an Uzumaki that finds them." Jiraiya looked pointedly at Naruto.

"Someday I'll check it out," Naruto said. "What other fuuinjutsu are you going to teach me?"

"Nothing complex yet," Jiraiya said. "But I'm going to teach you how to bind people, chakra, and how to incorporate your own elemental affinity into them."

"Huh?" Naruto scratched his head. "What do you mean with that? Sounds complex to me."

"Alright, listen up," Jiraiya sighed. Naruto was so much like him in his younger years; Jiraiya understood why Sarutobi would prefer Orochi-teme over him. "With fuuinjutsu, you can bind people. So they can't move unless they flaunt their chakra for a certain amount of time. With fuuinjutsu, you can seal away chakra and this makes ninjutsu useless."

"And the element part?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.

"Oh yeah, you don't know your elemental affinity yet," Jiraiya said. "I have a pretty good idea but let's see. Channel some chakra into this chakra-permeable paper." The Toad Sage took out a piece of paper and held it out to Naruto. The blonde took it gingerly and closed his eyes, pushing his chakra into it. It was similar to the chakra control exercises that Jiraiya had put him through a week ago; he had to climb trees without using his hands and walk on water.

Once Naruto had pushed his chakra into the paper, it split into two. Then, nothing happened. "I thought so," Jiraiya grinned. "Your elemental affinity is wind. But since you're an Uzumaki, water jutsu shouldn't be too hard for you."

"Yosh," Naruto pumped his fist. "What jutsu are you going to teach me?"

"Some C-rank jutsu should be good for you," Jiraiya said. "I know several wind jutsu and a few water jutsu that are C-rank and you have so much chakra that it shouldn't affect your reserves very much. The first two jutsu I will teach you is Wind Style: Great Breakthrough and Water Style: Wild Water Wave. The former summons a large gust of wind and the second brings a wave of water."

"Alright," Naruto said. "Show me the hand-signs." Jiraiya showed him the hand-seals for the two jutsu. Wind Style: Great Breakthrough was Tiger, Ox, Dog, Rabbit, and Snake. Water Style: Wild Water Wave was Dragon, Tiger, and Hare. Sure enough, Naruto learned the wind jutsu in two hours while the water jutsu took him three hours to learn. He used his shadow clones to help since they shared experience with him upon dispelling. It was night by the time Naruto had finished learning the two jutsu. Jiraiya had left for the five hours to do some 'research' but Naruto found him in a dango shop, some time later.

"I'm finished," Naruto said, causing Jiraiya to raise his eyebrows. "I had fifty shadow clones do the water jutsu while I had another fifty do the wind jutsu."

"Were you participating with your clones?" Jiraiya asked. Sometimes, Naruto just laid back while the clones learned the techniques for him. Jiraiya had said that he wouldn't learn any jutsu correctly if he was ever stripped of his Shadow Clone Jutsu. Ever since, Naruto made sure to practice with his clones since he knew he wouldn't always have this advantage.

"Yes, Ero-Sennin," Naruto said. "So what're we going to learn tomorrow?"

"Actually, Naruto," Jiraiya said. "I have to go back tomorrow to attend to my spy network."

"WHAT?!" Naruto exclaimed. "You're just leaving me like this, Ero-Sennin. I've only had around three weeks of training. You can't just-"

"Relax, Naruto," Jiraiya said. "I've left five large scrolls in your apartment while you were training; the green one is on taijutsu, the blue one is on genjutsu, the yellow one is on ninjutsu, the purple one is on fuuinjutsu, and the gold one is on jutsu composition."

"What's that?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.

"Chakra control exercises and how to make your own jutsu," Jiraiya explained. "It also explains how chakra was formed and some information on Kekkei Genkai."

"Kekkei Genkai?" Naruto asked. "I've heard that before but I can't remember."

"For example," Jiraiya smiled. "Your rival, Sasuke Uchiha, has a Kekkei Genkai or bloodline known as the Sharingan. There is more information on it in the jutsu composition scroll."

"Aw, sweet," Naruto said. "I'll beat the teme's ass once I graduate. By the way, how long will you be gone, Ero-Sennin?" Jiraiya grimaced since Naruto would not like his answer one bit.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Jiraiya said. "But I'm going to be gone a year; so I'll probably return by the time you graduate and are put into your three-man teams?"

"WHAT?!" Naruto exclaimed. "So I'm going to have to train myself from these scrolls?"

"Yep," Jiraiya said. "That's just how it is; but those scrolls are probably the world's greatest sensei so don't worry. And make sure you don't reveal _any _of your powers to the proctors. Graduate with the lowest grades and you'll receive satisfaction after you've shown the world how strong you really are."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the year passed quickly as Naruto came home from the Academy and trained himself. While the class thought of him as a dobe and a dead-last, Naruto had secretly boosted his skills to mid-chunin level. The taijutsu scroll had taught him the Toad Style and he had thoroughly memorized the various moves and katas. He had also increased the intensity of the gravity seals so he could improve his body. The genjutsu scroll did not have much but it taught him how to break out of a genjutsu and taught him some; Naruto had learned all of them and they would work soundlessly on a genin.

Naruto had also gotten taller, standing at five feet, which was impressive for the blonde. He had also developed a lot of muscle although it didn't make him seem like a bulky wrestler. The blonde could now stand at the same height with Iruka, which annoyed the pony-tailed chunin on several occasions since he couldn't look down at Naruto when he scolded him for not trying harder to get better marks.

The ninjutsu scroll had severely boosted Naruto's arsenal of jutsu; he now had a large store of wind and water jutsu up to B-rank. It also taught him some non-elemental ninjutsu such as Shuriken and Kunai Shadow Clone Jutsu, which were very useful in diversions. Jiraiya had also left some fire jutsu for Naruto but the blonde hadn't learned any of them since they were immensely difficult to use. From the ninjutsu scroll, Naruto had also learned the Body Flicker Jutsu and it was much easier than he thought it had been.

But Naruto had learned the most from the fuuinjutsu scroll. A year ago, Naruto only knew how to cast gravity seals but now, he could utilize two-four Symbols Seals for fuuinjutsu. He could also paralyse people by placing a binding seal onto them or seal away chakra by placing a seal barrier. He also had some skills with barrier ninjutsu now since they had an element of fuuinjutsu in them. Naruto could also make traps using fuuinjutsu and they were pretty nasty.

However, Naruto always remembered that he couldn't show off his skills until the Genin Exam so he kept himself hidden. He kept on the mask of a happy-go-lucky idiot and tried to gain Sakura's attention. Naruto also made sure to just pass the Graduation Exam so that nobody would realize his true strength. However, today was the day when that changed.

Naruto had gotten the lowest scores of the Graduation Exam while Sasuke, no surprise there, had gotten the highest. Naruto knew that he wouldn't be paired up with Sasuke and gave a laugh of relief. "I'm not with that showoff," he said to himself. Right now, he was in a clothing store since he would ditch his orange jumpsuit and needed some new clothes that wouldn't make him an instant target.

He eventually decided on a light-orange high-collar jacket, light-black t-shirt, black ninja track pants, and blue sandals. This clothes store was probably the only one that didn't hate him since it was also the Sandaime's personal clothing store. He was only charged 30 ryo and that was the accurate cost while other stores would probably double the price.

Naruto went home and ate his breakfast. Then, he took a shower before wearing his new clothes. "**Shadow Clone Jutsu,**" Naruto yelled, summoning a shadow clone. He instructed it to go to the Hokage's office and steal some information on the jonin. Jiraiya had taught him that intel could sometimes decide the difference between life and death. Following that, Naruto went to the Academy, his hands behind his head.

"Hey, Naruto," Shikamaru greeted. "What's up with the new clothes?" Choji, Kiba, Shino, and some others nodded, sitting up. Naruto's new attire still consisted of orange although it was lighter and he wore black as well, making him less noticeable. It didn't hurt their eyes either, which was pleasant. Especially to Akamaru and the dog laid happily on Kiba's head.

"Oh, this," Naruto said. Everyone's eyebrows rose since Naruto hadn't immediately answered and was actually thinking about what he was going to say. He appeared to have become like a ninja although there were some differences between Naruto and the brooding Sasuke at the other table. "I decided to wear something that's not an easy target," the blonde explained. "As for my personality, I'm still the old Naruto except I've heard that shinobi should act slightly more restrained. Believe it!" Everyone sweat-dropped at that and returned to their work.

Naruto took a seat next to Sasuke, who looked up for once. "What's with the new clothes, dobe?" Sasuke smirked arrogantly. "Trying to act cool; there's no point in it. Besides, you'll probably just slow-"

"Shut the hell up, teme," Naruto growled. "I'm trying to better myself and you're insulting me for that. I'll knock your teeth in the next time you say that." Sasuke laughed, causing all of the girls to start blushing or squealing. But before the Uchiha could say anything, Sakura and Ino charged into the classroom, coming to a halt. They began to start panting before glaring at each other.

"I won!" Sakura said. "My toe was before yours."

"Nah," Ino said. "My head was slightly ahead of you."

"Ino-pig," Sakura threatened.

"Forhead," Ino scoffed, looking evenly at Sakura. Electricity flew between their eyes until Sakura's eyes fell upon Sasuke. Normally, Naruto would have thought that she might be looking at him and he used to have a massive crush on her. But Naruto had soon come to realize that Sakura would be smitten with Sasuke for a long time and Naruto needed to become Hokage before that happened. As Hokage, he could marry some princess and increase their ties with Konoha. He didn't have time for some wide-headed pink-haired excuse for a kunoichi.

"NARUTO-BAKA," Sakura yelled. "GO AWAY; THAT'S MY SEAT YOU'RE TAKING."

"No, it's mine," Naruto said sternly causing everyone to look at him. "For someone who's so good at theory, you don't get that Sasuke will never accept your dates or ask you out unless you get stronger. Haven't you noticed the type of girls he likes? I hate him yet I know this much about him. You've been obsessed with him your entire life and you don't get this?!"

Ino and some of the girls' eyebrows rose up. It made sense since Sasuke was always training or becoming stronger. If they became stronger, then Sasuke might become more attracted to them. "SHUT UP, NARUTO-BAKA," Sakura said, marching up to Naruto. "WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOW ABOUT SASUKE-KUN? YOU'RE NOTHING MORE BUT A-"

"**SILENCE,**" Iruka's voice boomed out, drowning even Sakura's. He came into the classroom and glared at Sakura, causing the pink-haired weakling to quickly find a seat. He kept his expression for a moment before beaming at the class. "Hello, everyone," he said and everyone sweat-dropped anime style. "You've all managed to pass the Graduation Exam. Now, you will be pressed in your three-man squads and your jonin senseis will pick you up." He began to call out the teams, starting with the civilian Team 1.

Naruto sat up as his clone's memories came to him. Clone Naruto had transformed into a beetle and had peered into Sarutobi's information files on the jonin. He would have looked at the teams but they hadn't been in the office and Clone Naruto hadn't wanted to waste time. Naruto skipped the non-important jonin and looked for the really strong ones; they were Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, Asuma Sarutobi, and Kurenai Yuuhi.

Kakashi Hatake was the son of the White Fang and student of Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage and Kiroi Senko. He became jonin at the age of _13_ and joined ANBU sometime after that, although he became jonin again since Kakashi is really lazy. His personality traits were that he was always late to something for at least two hours unless it was a C or higher-rank mission. However, he was also known as the Sharingan Warrior and had copied over a thousand jutsu with his Sharingan.

_Wow, this guy's really strong, _Naruto thought. He wondered if Kakashi would be their team's sensei since it was likely that the Civilian Council would have him teach Sasuke how to use the Sharingan. Naruto clenched his teeth and really hoped for the chance to show people just how strong he was and how much they had under-estimated Naruto.

Might Guy was known as the Handsome Green Beast of Konoha and he was a taijutsu specialist, rivalled only by the Hokage. He had a great figure and was known to have brutal training exercises such as a hundred laps around Konoha as a warm-up. Naruto was surprised to read that Guy was the only shinobi in the world that could open at least six of the Eight Celestial Gates. In Jiraiya's taijutsu scroll, the Toad Sage had written about the Eight Celestial Gates and how they boosted a ninja's power several times but were very drained as a side-effect.

Asuma Sarutobi was the son of the Sandaime Hokage and was a member of the Twelve Guardians, a monk group that protected the Land of Fire's borders. He had perfect chakra control and specialized in wind jutsu. _I'll have to ask him for some tips, _Naruto thought since he also had an affinity for wind jutsu. There wasn't much more written except that Asuma had several monk jutsu that Sarutobi had no knowledge of.

Kurenai Yuuhi did not have much written on her file but it stated that she was a genjutsu specialist, whose goal was to surpass Itachi Uchiha in the mentioned art. Naruto raised his eyebrow since that was a very ambitious dream; Jiraiya's genjutsu scroll stated that Itachi Uchiha was one of the world's greatest genjutsu specialist and his special Sharingan, the Mangekyou Sharingan, could put any person into an unique genjutsu world where Itachi was in control over space and time. _But my goal is to become Hokage so she might do it, _Naruto thought.

"Alright, Team 7," Iruka announced, "is Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto fell to the floor at the prospect of the two most annoying people in the world. Sasuke had a similar thought but he kept himself composed. Sakura seemed torn between cheering and groaning; she would have to stand 'Naruto-baka' but she could now get 'Sasuke-kun' to like her.

"Team 8," Iruka said, "is Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame." Hinata was disappointed since she wasn't with Naruto and looked at her teammates shyly. Shino nodded to Kiba and gave a light bow to Hinata before turning his attention to Iruka again. Kiba just scoffed arrogantly and laid back, Akamaru giving a little bark.

"Team 9 is still in circulation," Iruka said. "So Team 10 is Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi." Ino groaned and banged her head to the desk while Shikamaru just laughed triumphantly at her. Apparently, they had an argument if they would be on the same team. Choji smiled at Shikamaru and simply munched his crisps, looking at Ino.

"Alright, then," Iruka said, leaving to the door. "Your jonin senseis will pick you up." Around an hour later, all of the other teams were meeting jonin senseis while Team 7 was still waiting for their sensei. _So it's Kakashi, eh? _Naruto thought, thinking about the information he read. So the Civilian Council had probably gotten him to become their sensei to watch over the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki and teach Sasuke everything about the Sharingan.

"Hey, Sasuke, do you want to maybe-" Sakura had tried to ask the brooding Uchiha to a date but he just gave her a look and she shut up. Naruto watched the two and sighed before walking towards the door. "NARUTO-BAKA," Sakura yelled. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" The blonde gave a sigh since he knew that she would probably scold him if he told her his true intentions.

"I'm going to the toilet," Naruto said, leaving the door ajar. Sakura gave a scowl before skipping over to Sasuke. _And she's thinking of becoming a shinobi? _the blonde thought, shaking his head. He went to the toilet and made a cross-seal with his fingers, "**Shadow Clone Jutsu.**" He formed one clone and it headed back to the classroom while Naruto went outside to stretch his legs and take a walk. Kakashi would probably just introduce them and even if there was fighting, Naruto could always head back.

Clone Naruto was sitting in the classroom and waiting when a nasty idea came to him. He giggled like a little girl before taking out a scroll. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW, NARUTO?" Sakura screeched. Clone Naruto glared at her and retorted back, "I'm going to teach him to not be late again. If I pant the edge of this door, he'll get his hand wet and that's cool."

"YOU IDIOT," Sakura yelled back. "THAT'S THE MOST STUPID IDEA I'VE EVER HEARD!"

"Come on, dobe," Sasuke said. "Our sensei's a jonin; do you really think he won't notice a bit of paint on the door?" Clone Naruto didn't say anything and put his palm on the scroll. A bucket of paint appeared and Clone Naruto began writing some seals on the edge of the door, smiling evilly. Once he had finished, Clone Naruto placed a finger on the writing and pushed in some chakra, making the trap. Then, he quickly sealed the bucket of paint into his scroll and returned to his desk. Sakura and Sasuke just shook their heads at the blonde's stupidity although Sakura was just following Sasuke, trying to impress him.

_I love pranks like this, _Inner Sakura said inside Sakura's mind. She actually found the prank very funny yet didn't want Sasuke to be annoyed with her so she just laughed at Naruto. "BAKA," she said. "YOUR PRANK'S GONNA FAIL, BADLY." Clone Naruto raised an eyebrow and wondered if her regular voice was just screaming. Around fifteen minutes later, Kakashi arrived.

The jonin had already seen the markings on the door but wanted to get a reason for insulting them with his swag. He put his hand on the door to push it aside when Naruto's trap was initiated. Kakashi's hand was completely covered in spider-webs and they were spreading around his body. Sakura began screaming her head off while Clone Naruto started to laugh hard. "You fell for it," the blonde laughed. "For a moment, I thought you would've stayed clear of the markings."

"What the hell?" Sasuke said, looking at the scene before him. _The dobe was just painting the door, _he thought. _Why is his hand covered in spier-webs then? How did the dead-last do that? _Kakashi released some chakra onto his fingertips and took out his hand from the cobwebs. "My first impression on you guys," Kakashi said, looking at them, annoyed, "is that you're a bunch of dumbasses. Meet me on the roof in five minutes." Having said that, Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE, NARUTO-BAKA," Sakura chastised. "NOW, OUR SENSEI'S MAD AT US AND-"

"Listen, Sakura," Clone Naruto said. "I don't care if he's mad or not. _We _are the ones who had to wait for two hours. Besides, he's a jonin and was not careful enough so I kinda helped him. Now, if you're done, let's go and meet him." Deciding to add some effect, Clone Naruto dispelled himself, disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Meanwhile, at the park, Naruto received his clone's memories and sighed heavily. Since his shadow clones were a part of him, they had Naruto's rebellious nature. The blonde got up and returned to the Academy.

Kakashi was wondering about his new team. _Jiraiya-sama has taught him well, _the copycat ninja thought. _To think that he can do seals like that at this age... _He would gauge out Naruto's power level tomorrow and the Sandaime had asked for that. Earlier, he had been called to the office and the aged Hokage had explained to him that while Jiraiya had helped Naruto, his grades at the Academy were just enough to pass. Now, Kakashi wondered if the blonde had hidden his strength from everyone.

He looked up to see Sakura and Sasuke approaching him. "What happened to your teammate?" Kakashi asked. "Wasn't he down there with you guys?" Sasuke just scoffed and looked away, causing Kakashi to raise an eyebrow. "I'll tell you, sensei," Sakura said. "Naruto just disappeared in a cloud of smoke after yelling at us." Kakashi's eyes widened at the two bits of information; either Naruto knew the Body Flicker Jutsu or he knew the Shadow Clone Jutsu. It was probably the latter since Naruto would've been at the roof before the other two but that was not the case.

Another piece of information was that Naruto did not get off well with these two. He could tell that Sasuke and Sakura did not like Naruto and he didn't like them. The girl just liked Sasuke from what he had read up on her while the Uchiha did not like anybody. "Hello there," Naruto's voice came as he walked towards them. "Sorry I'm late, Kakashi-sensei."

"So you know my name?" Kakashi asked, raising his eyebrow. _Did this kid research on me? _the copycat ninja thought. It wasn't very hard for someone who knew the Shadow Clone Jutsu, Transformation Jutsu, and had knowledge of fuuinjutsu. He could easily step through the barrier around Sarutobi's office and take a look at the information files on the jonin of Konoha. _Jiraiya-sama, _Kakashi thought. _How much have you changed this boy?_

"I've done my homework," Naruto merely stated, sitting next to Sasuke. "So let's get to the catch." He said that quickly since Sakura had begun to open her mouth again. Kakashi's gaze lingered on him for a moment before saying, "You guys need to introduce yourselves to me. We're going to be a team from now and we should know a little about each other."

"Why don't you go first, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura piped up. "You're the only person we don't know about." She was unsure about the last part since Naruto seemed to know quite a bit about Kakashi. The one-eyed ninja cursed silently since Naruto had no doubt learned of his Sharingan prowess. "Alright, my name is Kakashi Hatake," Kakashi said. "I have a lot of likes and dislikes. My hobby... I have a lot of hobbies. As for my dream... I haven't thought about it."

"That was useless," Sakura said to them. "All we learned was his name." Sasuke gave a small nod, looking at her for a second, while Naruto just chuckled and looked away. Sakura and Sasuke grew tick marks on their forehead at Naruto's attitude. _That dobe, _Sasuke thought. _He may have a few tricks but I'm an Uchiha Elite! He is nothing compared to me. _"Alright," Kakashi said. "Now it's your turn. Blondy, go first."

"Come on, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto smiled. "I know you know my name is Naruto Uzumaki. I'm twelve years old and my likes are training, eating ramen, and reading. My dislikes are arrogant brats that think they're superior because of their surnames, fangirls that don't realize how pointless it is to do what they do, and people that don't understand the difference between a container and the content. I also hate waiting for three minutes after I pour the water into my ramen. And my dream... I'm aiming to be the greatest Hokage in history. Then, people will look up to me and treat me like I'm somebody... somebody important."

Sakura and Sasuke growled at him. _How dare he call true love pointless? _Sakura thought. _I'll show how pointless **his **life is. _Meanwhile, Sasuke was fuming inwardly at what Naruto had said. _Because of my surname? _Sasuke thought. _How idiotic; the Uchiha are the greatest shinobi in the world. And I don't think I'm superior... I know I'm superior, dobe. _He couldn't wait until he showed Kakashi his strength so he could get stronger.

_He's grown up in an interesting way, _Kakashi noted. _He does not like Sasuke, Sakura, or the villagers. He's just like you... Minato-sensei. _Kakashi had also noticed the reference to the Kyuubi. "Alright, pinky," Sakura scowled at the nickname. "It's your turn now."

"Well, uh, my name is Sakura Haruno," Sakura blushed deeply. "My likes are... um, yeah. My dream is to... My hobbies are... " After every comment, the pink-haired girl blushed even deeper and squealed as she looked at Sasuke. "And what do you dislike?" Kakashi asked, sweat-dropping. He had a pretty good idea but wanted to hear it from her. "Definitely Naruto and other girls that want to steal Sasuke away," Sakura said, not blushing in the least.

"As if I care, Sakura," Naruto said, laying back. "You're the useless fangirl so your words don't have any meaning." Sakura flashed him a death glare but the blonde simply added, "Your cute looks won't affect me, Sakura." She started to rise but Kakashi cut in, "Don't waste my time, guys. If you want to beat each other up later, I don't have a problem with that but not now." _I just **had **to get the fangirl,_ the copycat ninja thought. _It seems girls like her are more interested in boys than jutsu. _"And last, the emo boy," Kakashi said, causing Sasuke to look up.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke said coolly, causing Sakura to squeal and Naruto to roll his eyes. "I don't like a lot of things and there isn't really anything I like. My hobbies are none of your concern. While I don't have a dream, since I will make it real, I do have a certain ambition: to revive my clan and kill a certain man." Naruto raised his eyebrow and thought, _He's obsessed with Itachi. I don't have a clan either and I don't go destroying the Shinobi World for that. Geez!_

_Just as I thought, _Kakashi thought. _I've got to get him to forget about revenge. _"Yosh," the copycat ninja said. "You all have your own unique personalities and goals; I like that. Before we start doing missions as a team, we will participate in an activity which involves the four of us. It will be a survival exercise."

"What?!" Sakura said sharply. "We've already done lots of training at the Academy. Since we passed the Graduation Exam, we are fit to become shinobi now."

"Oh but this is different," Kakashi said, eye-smiling. "I'm hesitating to tell you since I know you'll freak out." This just increased the curiosity of the three teenagers and they pestered Kakashi to tell them. "Alright, fine," Kakashi said, clouding his eyes. "Out of the 27 graduates, only 9 will go on to become genin. This means that 18 of you will be sent back to the Academy until you pass the Graduation Exam again. Thus, this survival test has a 66 percent failure rate." The faces of the three genin fell and Kakashi chuckled. "See," he said. "I told you that you wouldn't like it."

"THEN WHAT WAS THE GRADUATION EXAM FOR?" Sakura screeched to Kakashi. _I can't be separated from Sasuke-kun, _she thought. _This is a trial of love!_

"Oh, that," Kakashi said. "That was just to weed out the students that had potential to become genin. I mean, come on, you can't just become a ninja by knowing how to do the Transformation Jutsu, Replacement Jutsu, and the Clone Jutsu. There is more to being a shinobi than knowing jutsu. Be at Training Ground 7 tomorrow at 5 AM in the morning and bring your ninja gear. And don't eat breakfast; you'll just puke."

_I'm not losing this test, _Naruto thought. _All of my training was to see if I could become a shinobi. Now, I can show my true strength at last._

_I will beat you, Itachi, _Sasuke thought. _With my progressing abilities, I'll surpass you in no time. I can't lose tomorrow!_

_Sasuke-kun, _Sakura thought as she looked at her crush. "Alright, then," Kakashi stood up. "You're dismissed." He left with the Body Flicker Jutsu to report to the Sandaime Hokage.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Come in, Kakashi," Sarutobi said. "So how did it go?"

"I've met them and learned a bit about their personalities," Kakashi said. "Basically, this team is just like the Legendary Sannin. Naruto is like Jiraiya-sama since they're both laid-back and care-free. Sakura is like Tsunade since she yells at Naruto all the time and thinks she's stronger than him. However, I don't think Tsunade-sama had a large crush on Orochimaru. Sasuke is like Orochimaru since he lusts for power and hates Itachi."

"I see," Sarutobi puffed out some smoke. "This team is a lot like your team, as well, Kakashi. You are like Sasuke, Naruto could be like Obito, and Sakura could be similar to Rin." Kakashi didn't say anything since he was thinking about how he had killed Rin and how Obito had died by sacrificing himself. _Naruto, Sasuke, _he thought. _I hope you can get along before one of you dies._

"Did you find anything about Naruto's abilities, Kakashi?" Sarutobi asked, leaning forward. It was possible that Naruto had used some jutsu during their meeting. To his delight, Kakashi nodded and told him what he had gauged from Naruto's skills.

"Well," the copycat ninja began. "He knows the Shadow Clone Jutsu and some fuuinjutsu. When they were waiting for me, Naruto put trap seals around the door and I put my hand there, since I thought it was just paint. The seals glowed and my hand was covered in cobwebs with little spiders across them. I used a small Chidori to cut through it."

"Impressive," Sarutobi puffed out smoke. "To think that he can already use a complex art such as fuuinjutsu at this age. Well, then again, he is an Uzumaki. Make sure that you learn his degree of mastery over fuuinjutsu and to what extent Jiraiya has taught him." Kakashi nodded and disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving the Sandaime to his thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

So, this is the second chapter of my fanfiction! This will show Naruto with his new strength and Sasuke starts to resent Naruto. There is also Sakura bashing in this fanfiction.

**Chapter 2: **_Survival Training & Land of Waves_

Sasuke and Sakura came to the training ground at 5 AM in the morning. The pink-haired girl was yawning heavily and hadn't fully straightened her hair. Her stomach growled badly since she hadn't eaten breakfast. Sasuke was a bit better since he was used to getting up early although 5 AM was a lot for him as well. He quickly kept his bags and sat down.

"Where's Naruto?" Sakura asked. "Sensei can be here any minute and that idiot hasn't arrived yet."

"Who cares," Sasuke said. However, that caused Sakura to start asking him out on a date. The Uchiha grew tick marks on his forehead but just ignored her, causing her to give up after a while. But she would still occasionally try to strike up a conversation so Sasuke eventually left to set up some traps.

Naruto woke up at 7 AM. According to Kakashi's file, the jonin showed up three hours after the time they were supposed to meet. That gave him one hour to do whatever he wanted! Naruto continued to read his scroll on jutsu composition.

The jutsu composition scroll had taught Naruto a lot of concepts of energy, its forms, and also physics of ninjutsu. He had studied many things such as gravitational acceleration, strong interaction, weak interaction, magnetism, and other principles. Apparently, Jiraiya was a Sennin and he understood these rules of nature from years of observation.

After learning about radiation and how it travelled in a vacuum, Naruto was now reading up on space-time ninjutsu. It utilized the space-time continuum and was practically teleporting. The Yondaime, Jiraiya's student, had combined fuuinjutsu with space-time ninjutsu to create his Flying Thunder God Jutsu, which allowed him to teleport from a single point in a dimension to another.

_I'm gonna learn that, _Naruto thought. He wanted to become the greatest Hokage and the only way to do that was to surpass the Yondaime. Therefore, if Naruto understood jutsu composition, then he could create his own jutsu that was better than the deceased Hokage's.

"Shit," Naruto cursed when he saw the time. "I'd better go now." He ate some instant ramen since fighting on an empty stomach was really bad before taking a quick shower. Then, Naruto put on his trademark clothes and got all of his ninja gear ready. "YOSH," the blonde exclaimed before using the Body Flicker Jutsu.

Naruto appeared at Training Ground 7 and took a look at what was happened. Sure enough, Sakura was asking Sasuke for a date although the Uchiha had used the previous three hours to lay some traps. _A jonin won't fall for these traps, _Naruto thought as he saw the traps Sasuke had laid, face-palming himself.

"NARUTO-BAKA," Sakura yelled as he came into their view. "YOU OVERSLEPT, DIDN'T YOU? SENSEI TOLD US TO COME AT 5 AM AND IT'S ALMOST 8 AM NOW."

"I know, Sakura," Naruto said, causing her to pause. "If you had found some thing about Kakashi, you would've noticed that he's almost always three hours late unless it is a C or higher-ranked mission." Sakura shut up at that, thought for a moment, and began to retort when Kakashi appeared.

"Hello, guys," Kakashi eye-smiled. "My paths were rigged with black cats and I had to help an old lady with her groceries." Sasuke glared at him while Sakura screamed at the man, which he ignored. Naruto just sighed but thought, _I'll show him... he's gonna be so surprised!_

"This clock is set for noon," Kakashi said, setting down a clock. "Your task is simple; get these bells from me before time's up."

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said. "There are only two bells there."

"Exactly," Kakashi said. "Whoever doesn't manage to get a bell will get tied to a stump while we eat our lunches in front of them. Then, that person will be sent back to the Academy for failing." Sasuke smirked while Sakura looked pointedly at Naruto, who didn't say anything.

"Yosh," Kakashi said, setting his bag down. "Come at me with the intent to kill otherwise you'll never get the bells. Ready, START!" At his command, Sasuke and Sakura disappeared into the forest while Naruto remained on his spot, unmoving.

"You're a bit odd, aren't you?" Kakashi said. "Shinobi must disguise themselves and retreat into the shadows, never seen. You don't seem to understand that, Naruto. I would've thought that Jiraiya-sama would teach you that."

"He did," Naruto said. "But he also taught me that it's pointless aganist a jonin like Sharingan no Kakashi." The copycat ninja raised an eyebrow, surprised that Naruto had found intel on him to this extent. Although, it was common knowledge that he had copied over a thousand jutsu with his left eye.

"Besides," the blonde retorted, assuming the Toad Style. "Don't you wanna learn how strong I am." Kakashi didn't say anything and reached into his hip pouch, "Shinobi Lesson #1: Taijutsu." _What the hell?! _Naruto thought. _Taijutsu is hand-to-hand combat; why is he reaching for a weapon?_

To Naruto's anger, Kakashi took out an orange book and began to read. "Hey," Naruto called. "Why are you reading this book?"

"Why, you ask," Kakashi said, not looking up. "Well, I want to know the ending, don't I? Besides, since you're the dead-last, it doesn't really matter if I'm reading or not." Naruto's eyebrow ticked and he charged at Kakashi, becoming invisible with speed.

_What the hell! _Kakashi thought. Naruto had mid-chunin level speed while the instructors at the Academy said that he was immensely slow. The copycat ninja turned and blocked Naruto's kick although his book went flying. "NO," Kakashi said. "My Icha Icha Paradise book better not be harmed otherwise you're getting it, Naruto."

"What's wrong, sensei?" Naruto grinned. "I thought you said that it didn't matter whether you were focused or not." He backed away and punched at Kakashi, who caught his blow. The copycat ninja's eye widened as Naruto came up with his leg to kick him. The jonin blocked his kick, allowing Naruto to touch the bells for an instant before Kakashi flung him away.

"How was that, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked as he regained his footing. "Are you sure you don't need to use that Sharingan of yours?"

"Nah, I'm good," Kakashi said. "Now what other-" He never finished since Kakashi's entire body froze up in an instant as Naruto's binding seal went over the one-eyed jonin's body. Naruto gave a naughty laugh before rushing towards Kakashi, fist cocked back.

_Damn this, _Kakashi thought, releasing his chakra. _I didn't think he knew binding seals. How much have you taught him, Jiraiya-sama? _Just as Naruto closed in, Kakashi broke the seal and dashed away from the blonde, whose punch made a small crater.

"Impressive, Naruto," Kakashi said. "To think that you're this skilled in fuuinjutsu; I guess you were acting the whole time in the Academy, eh?" The blonde grinned and nodded, causing Kakashi to eye-smile at his sensei's son before entering his ANBU style.

"Let's test your taijutsu, sensei," Naruto said as he entered the Toad Style again. He came at Kakashi but the jonin batted aside his fist and kicked the blonde into the shins, causing Naruto to gave a wheeze of pain. But Kakashi was surprised when Naruto turned and delivered a sharp uppercut to him, actually giving him a bruise. _How skilled is he? _Kakashi thought, wondering if Naruto would have beaten him at the same age.

Sakura was amazed back in the bushes. She couldn't believe that this was the dead-last of the Academy. He was trading blows evenly with Kakashi-sensei and had actually touched a bell from the jonin. _Where did he get this power from? _Sakura thought. Had Naruto just been holding back in the Academy? _No, that's impossible, _she thought. _Sasuke-kun is better than him!_

Sasuke was shocked, astounded, and fuming with jealousy; Naruto, the dead-last dobe, was fighting against Kakashi evenly while the latter was a specialized jonin. _How did the dobe get so strong?! _Sasuke wondered. _Was he just playing some joke in the Academy or something? I need to know how much he... _Naruto had just _touched _one of the bells and had gotten Kakashi paralyzed for a second.

Naruto wasn't doing so good; Kakashi was beginning to get the upper hand despite the fact that his chakra reserves were greater than the jonin's. "Wanna have a ninjutsu fight?" Naruto asked, hoping that his sensei would agee. To his relief, Kakashi nodded and backed away, "Shinobi Lesson #3: Ninjutsu. Show me what you've got."

"**Water Style: Wild Water Wave,**" Naruto yelled after he went through the three hand-signs. A large wave of water came towards Kakashi, who slammed his palms into the ground. "**Earth Style: Earth Wall,**" the jonin called and a large wall was created, shielding Kakashi from Naruto's attack.

_Amazing, _Kakashi thought. Naruto had chunin-class speed, good knowledge on seals, good taijutsu to last a while against Kakashi, and now a _C-rank _ninjutsu. "So, Naruto," Kakashi eye-smiled. "What else has Jiraiya taught you?"

"A few more jutsu," Naruto admitted. "Since you aren't using your Sharingan, I don't have any thing against showing you." He got back to doing hand-seals for his next technique while Kakashi backed up and prepared to counter with the opposite element.

"**Wind Style: Great Breakthrough,**" Naruto yelled and a large gust of wind blew towards Kakashi, who had already finished with his handsigns. "You can't beat me with that jutsu, Naruto," the copycat ninja exclaimed. "**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.**"

Kakashi blew a large fireball towards the gust of wind, which was negated and the fire only increased. Naruto tried to spot Kakashi but couldn't see his sensei through the flames and smoke until the copycat ninja was seconds away from impaling his face. Naruto disappeared in a swirl of leaves, causing Kakashi's eyes to widen again. _He knows Body Flicker Jutsu as well, _Kakashi thought as he raced into the woods.

Sasuke's temper had worsened and he was literally enraged now. He would get Naruto's sensei, he _had _to have a teacher, and learn all of these jutsu. Sasuke only knew one C-rank jutsu while Naruto knew two of them and he had quite near Kakashi-level. _I don't understand, _Sasuke frowned. _How could he change so much?! _Then, as soon as Kakashi had taken off, Sasuke had already left; Sakura would probably be the first person he targeted.

_I-Impossible, _Sakura thought. The dead-last of their class had spamming high-level ninjutsu and had even disappeared from Kakashi's sight many times. Naruto had gotten past the jonin's guard and had touched a bell; Sakura couldn't believe her eyes and she wondered if her eyes had mistaken Naruto for Sasuke. Then, when Kakashi had taken off, Sakura could feel her heart beating and she went searching loudly for Sasuke.

_Sasuke-kun, _Sakura thought. _Could Kakashi-sensei have already gotten him?! NO, nothing can get my Sasuke. _Then, she saw Kakashi reading his book and she skidded to a halt, falling down to avoid getting seen. "Thank god," she said to herself. "He didn't see me."

"Sakura," a voice whispered behind her. "Behind you. **Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Jutsu.**" Sakura turned to see Kakashi there and screamed loudly as the genjutsu took effect over her, clouding her senses. Kakashi sighed as Sakura fell to the floor. "Shinobi Lesson #2: Genjutsu," Kakashi said. _Wow, _he thought. _Sakura learned about this in class yet she still wasn't able to escape it._

Kakashi left the area to look for Sasuke since he wanted to assess the Uchiha's skills in comparison to Naruto's. He could safely say that Naruto was chunin-level and if Sasuke performed better than him (Kakashi doubted that), he would take the boy as an apprentice since Kakashi liked talented ninja. Kakashi smirked when he imagined the looks of surprise on the faces of his fellow jonin if they saw the lazy Kakashi teaching a boy. At some point, the Civilian Council would have him train Sasuke anyway.

_That scream, _Sasuke halted. _It sounds like Sakura was caught in a genjutsu; so useless of her. _"But I'm not like Sakura or Naruto," Sasuke said, detecting Kakashi's presence behind him. "I'm different from them."

"Say that _after _you get these bells," Kakashi said, taking out his book. "Sasuke-kun." Sasuke turned to face Kakashi, who began to read again, and unleashed a flurry of shuriken. The jonin easily dodged them and said, "Those attacks won't work, Sasuke." Then, the Uchiha threw a kunai at a rope in the distance. _A trap, _Kakashi thought. _He must have set it up during the three hours I wasn't here. _A large volley of shruiken came at Kakashi, who deflected them with his kunai.

"Right here," Sasuke said from behind Kakashi. He turned and the Uchiha kicked his Icha Icha Paradise book out his hands. _That's twice it happened today, _the copycat ninja thought. He blocked Sasuke's kick, grabbing his leg. The raven-haired Uchiha turned and threw a punch at Kakashi, who caught it with his other hand. With his free leg, he kicked at Kakashi although the jonin blocked that as well, with his elbow. To his surprise, Sasuke managed one of the bells for a second before Kakashi flung him away.

_This kid, he's fierce, _Kakashi thought. _He's not as fast as Naruto but he's stronger than him! _Kakashi decided that he had gotten an accurate analysis on the boy's hand-to-hand combat skills, so he just needed to assess the Uchiha in ninjutsu now. "Is that all you can do, Sasuke?" Kakashi mocked, causing Sasuke to go through a few hand-seals. _He knows that jutsu? _Kakashi thought. Although it wasn't surprising since he was an Uchiha.

"**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu,**" Sasuke yelled, expelling a large breath of fireball. Kakashi was enveloped into the flames before he disappeared. When the smoke cleared, Kakashi was gone. "Where the hell did he go?" Sasuke yelled. _I thought he would use some water jutsu, _the Uchiha thought frantically as he looked around. _Did he use the Replacement Jutsu?_

He got his answer when Kakashi grabbed his ankle from the ground, pulling him down. A moment later, Sasuke was buried until the neck into the ground while Kakashi just looked at him, disappointed. "**Earth Style: Double Suicide Decapitation,**" Kakashi said, shaking his head. "It's true; you're different from Sakura but different doesn't mean better. In fact, Naruto made more progress than you." He disappeared in a swirl of leaves with that while Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration. _Damn you, Naruto, _he thought. _This isn't possible...__  
_

Kakashi had to say that Sasuke was around high-genin level. The only advantage he had over Naruto was strength since the blonde outclassed him everything else. Naruto's ninjutsu was also greater than Sasuke's since he had shown two C-rank jutsu and possibly knew more while Sasuke probably only knew the Fireball Jutsu. Add fuuinjutsu to the mix and Naruto completely outclassed Sasuke in the field. He had yet to find out who was better at genjutsu.

Coming on the main clearing, Kakashi began to read his book while his shadow clone went back into the forest to see if any of the genin had figured it out. They only had two hours before it was noon time! Naruto was currently rushing through the forest to look for his teammates since he had finally found out the meaning of this survival test. _Dumbasses, _he cursed Sasuke and Sakura. _If only two people can become genin, what about the Legendary Sanin? Besides, we can't individually defeat a jonin so he probably expects us to team up.__  
_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hokage-sama," Iruka said, taking a sip of tea. "Just who is Naruto's sensei?"

"Kakashi Hatake," Sarutobi said, handing Iruka a book. "This is how many teams he has passed since he returned from ANBU Black Ops."

"WHAT?!" Iruka said, his eyes widening. "Unbelievable, Kakashi has never passed a single team before. He fails all of them."

"Iruka," Sarutobi said slowly. "This team is very young. Even I cannot say if it's appropriate for them to face the dangers of ninja life. But Kakashi has been right about all of his other teams."

"Do you think Naruto can do it?" Iruka said. "He's not very bright; even with Jiraiya-sama's guidance, do you think he can figure out the meaning of this test?"

"Maybe," Sarutobi said. "I wouldn't count Naruto out just yet. He's Konoha's No. 1 Most Unpredictable Ninja."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey, Sakura," Naruto called to the pink-haired girl. "Wait up, I've finally found the meaning of this test."

"SHUT UP, NARUTO," she yelled. "CAN'T YOU SEE I'M TRYING TO FIND SASUKE? GOD KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED-"

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu,**" Naruto yelled and summoned two clones that easily grabbed Sakura and subdued her. Naruto came from the trees and gave her a deathly glare, causing her to shut up. "Listen up, Sakura," Naruto spat. "You're supposed to be smart, right? Then, ask yourself this; what are the chances that two genin can get the bells from Kakashi, an elite jonin? Have you ever heard of a two-man team?"

"No," she whispered, looking down. Naruto dispelled his clones and looked at her expectantly. "So what're we supposed to do then?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Naruto asked. "Teamwork; Kakashi wants to see if we can work together to get the bells from him. In the end, two people are not supposed to get one bell each but three people are supposed to get the two bells."

"But how can we beat a jonin?" Sakura yelled. "Even together, there is no way-"

"There is," Naruto said. "If we can get Sasuke to work with us, then Kakashi will pass us even if we don't get the bells."

"Okay fine," Sakura said. "Let's look for Sasuke-kun then." Naruto nodded and then they left to look for the Uchiha. In the background, Clone Kakashi smiled as he heard the conversation. _Maybe this team can pass, after all, _the one-eyed jonin thought. He dispelled himself and Kakashi smiled as he finished his chapter in the book. _Sensei, your son is so much like you, _Kakashi thought.

Sakura and Naruto found Sasuke buried in the ground, trying to pull himself out. "SASUKE-KUN," Sakura squealed. "What happened to you?" Naruto face-palmed while Sasuke just winced from the immense noise. "Hey, Sasuke," Naruto said, causing the Uchiha to look at him. "We need to work together to get the bells from him. Otherwise, he'll just fail all of us for not getting the bells but we might just have a chance together."

"I don't need your help, dobe," Sasuke yelled. "Back there, I touched one of the bells. Next time, I'll get them and-"

"So did I," Naruto said, causing Sasuke to shut up. "I touched one of those bells, as well. But he's a freaking jonin! Not only that, but he's an Elite Jonin. He isn't even using his full power right now and we can't get a single bell. The only way we stand a chance is if we attack him together."

"Shut up," Sasuke growled. "Don't you realize that I'm an Uchiha Elite! I can defeat him if I try my best and I might even be able to awaken my eyes in this confrontation. Don't get in my way, dobe!" He left after saying that.

"HE'S RIGHT, NARUTO-BAKA," Sakura screamed. "THERE'S NO WAY MY SASUKE-KUN CAN LOSE." She hurried behind Sasuke, leaving an annoyed Naruto. _I don't believe this, _the blonde thought. _Just how stupid are these guys?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"KAKASHI-SENSEI," Sakura screeched. "WHY AM I TIED UP HERE?"

"Simple, Sakura," Kakashi stated. "Unlike your teammates, you didn't even try to get the bells from me and left it up to Sasuke." Sasuke just scoffed and didn't say anything; after leaving Naruto, he had engaged in a few more battles with Kakashi and hadn't managed to even touch the bells. Kakashi looked at Sasuke, who was brooding again, while Naruto seemed pissed.

"Out of all of you," Kakashi said. "Naruto will be the only person sent back to the Academy." A look of relief came across Sasuke's and Sakura's face as they chuckled slightly. Naruto seemed shocked and stammered, "W-What?"

"That's right," the one-eyed jonin said. "But Sasuke and Sakura should be dropped out of the ninja program altogether." At that, their faces dropped while Naruto smirked at Kakashi.

"Why, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura screamed. "We're better than Naruto-baka. You should pass me and Sasuke-"

"Why would I do that?" Kakashi said. "Naruto found out that the meaning of this test was teamwork. He even tried to get you guys to cooperate yet Sasuke decided that he didn't need any help. And you, Sakura, followed him."

"Because Sasuke-kun is always right," Sakura insisted. "He got the best marks in the Academy and-"

"I don't care, Sakura," Kakashi said. "In my eyes, Naruto is better than Sasuke since he's stronger and actually used his head. You, Sakura, didn't even think about Naruto and went after Sasuke. As a result, you were caught in my genjutsu. And then, you agreed with Naruto to work as a team but when Sasuke said he wouldn't, you just left Naruto to go after Sasuke."

"NO, HE-"

"I'm not done yet, Sakura," Kakashi said, turning to Sasuke. "And you, Sasuke. You were already defeated by me yet you thought that your genin abilities would stand a chance against me. Due to the fact that this village has kept you on a high pedestal and you were awarded the best marks in the Academy, you let that get to your head and thought you stood a chance against me!"

"DON'T TALK TO SASUKE LIKE THAT, KAKASHI-SENSEI," Sakura yelled. "HE'S THE STRONGEST-"

"He's nothing," Kakashi said, causing Sasuke to give a roar of anger. The Uchiha charged towards Kakashi, as fast as he could, and before he knew it, Kakashi had sidestepped and grabbed him in a headlock. He pushed the Uchiha to the floor and put his foot on Sasuke's head while restraining his left arm. "LET GO OF SASUKE," Sakura yelled. "YOU CAN'T TREAT HIM LIKE THIS."

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said. "He's not worth it; nothing you say will get to him."

"Be quiet, Sakura," Kakashi said. "And, on the contrary, Naruto, they need to understand this. Being a ninja is not some kind of game! Why do you think you were put into squads in the first place? Did you ever think of that? NO, you didn't. And when your team-mate can up to you with the answer to this test, you simply brushed him off."

"He couldn't possible be right," Sakura yelled. "NARUTO HAD THE LOWEST GRADES IN THE ACADEMY AND-"

"Why don't you get it, Sakura?!" Kakashi snarled, causing the pink-haired girl to silence herself. "You've both seen Naruto's performance and I can say, Sakura, that Naruto is superior to Sasuke. Just because he didn't show his power during the Academy doesn't mean he can't think. I can say that he's a very level-headed shinobi and definitely more qualified than both of you kids."

_It's not possible, _Sasuke groaned. _He said that the dobe is stronger than me?! I'm an Uchiha Elite. _He would show Kakashi that he was far stronger than Naruto despite the fact that he had gotten some unknown power-up. "Teamwork is very important," Kakashi stressed, taking out a kunai. "It can determine whether you pass or fail your mission. For example, Sakura, kill Naruto now, or Sasuke dies."

"WHAT!" Sakura yelled and closed her eyes.

"Exactly," Kakashi put away his kunai. "That's what happens on a mission. Hostages are taken and you must decide whether or not you rescue that person or carry on with the mission." He released Sasuke and walked towards the Memorial Stone. "Have you taken a good look at this stone?" Kakashi asked, staring at it. "It carries the names of people that have been killed in combat."

Sasuke and Sakura looked down, ashamed. "My closest friends have their names here," Kakashi turned to them. "They are heroes of this village for sacrificing themselves for their comrades and mission. I'm going to give you another chance; you'll have three hours to get the bells. Eat your lunch now to build your strength and come at me as a team. But Sakura doesn't get any lunch and if you break this rule, you'll be failed immediately." He disappeared with the Body Flicker Jutsu.

Sasuke ate his lunch slowly while Naruto didn't open his lunch box. "I'm so hungry," Sakura said, her stomach growling. "Sasuke-kun, can I have some-"

"Of course not," Sasuke looked at her. "This is your punishment and he's given us another chance. I'm not going to fail this test so no, I can't give you food." Sakura's face fell at that but the Uchiha just went back to eating. Naruto looked at the pink-haired girl, feeling bad for her. He would've ended up just like her if Jiraiya hadn't found him. Naruto understood how it felt like to have nobody to guide you and she had jumped on Sasuke since she felt attracted to him.

While Sasuke had refused, he was re-thinking. _If she's hungry then she won't be effective in battle,_ Sasuke thought. Naruto and him would double-tag the sensei but it wouldn't be teamwork if she didn't participate as well. "Here," Sasuke offered his lunch to Sakura, causing her eyes to widen. "While I said no, I think you should be at full strength to get those bells. Besides, Kakashi isn't here right now."

"You can have mine too, Sakura," Naruto said, offering his lunch to her. "I already ate in the morning and don't need lunch, right now. Besides, we can't have you laggin behind, right?" Her eyes widened and Sakura almost cried; not only had her crush Sasuke offered her food but Naruto, the annoying baka, understood what they had to do. _Is this really Sasuke? _she thought. _Is this Naruto?_

"Can you feed me, guys?" Sakura asked, blushing slightly. "My hands aren't free so I can't really eat." Sasuke gave a light groan but Naruto nodded and feed Sakura some rice. Sasuke repeated this and the pink-haired girl blushed deeply. "This is just to pass, okay?" the Uchiha warned but he smiled slightly. Naruto was glad to see that Sasuke wasn't thinking about surpassing Itachi at the moment.

"YOU GUYS," Kakashi appeared in a cloud of smoke, surprising the three. "YOU DARE TO DISOBEY MY ORDERS!" Naruto could see that it was an act since Kakashi didn't really give off any killing intent, which shinobi did if they became angry. _So that's what you wanted, Kakashi-sensei? _Naruto smirked. Then, Sakura yelled out, "WE'RE NOT SCARED OF YOU. WE'RE A TEAM AND THOSE BELLS ARE OURS."

"YOU'RE A TEAM, ARE YOU?" Kakashi said. "YOU... pass." Sakura and Sasuke were astounded, their eyes widening. Naruto raised an eyebrow but he simply smirked, happy that his team had passed. "You're the first team to pass," Kakashi said. "The others did exactly as I told them to and they failed. They couldn't think of themselves. In the ninja world, those that don't follow rules are scum. But those that abandon their own comrades are worse than scum. As of now, you are Team 7 and we will begin our first mission tomorrow." Kakashi left in a swirl of leaves, leaving the three there.

"Wait, Naruto," Sasuke said. "Fight me!"

"Are you serious?" Naruto asked. "You don't stand a chance, teme. I pressurized Kakashi-sensei more than you."

"How did you get so strong?" Sasuke yelled. "I demand that you tell me. I'm an Uchiha Elite so I stand higher than you."

"I don't have to tell you anything," Naruto smirked, causing the Uchiha to growl. Then, Sasuke dashed towards Naruto and threw a punch. The blonde easily side-stepped and moved away before saying, "Sorry but I have a few things to do. 'Till tomorrow." Sasuke came at him again but Naruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Where did he learn that?" Sakura asked. "It's like Kakashi-sensei's technique." Sasuke clenched his teeth as he imagined Naruto with his new power. _Just you wait, dobe, _Sasuke thought angrily. _I'll have that fight with you and I'll prove the power of the Uchiha. _He left to his house so that he could awaken his Sharingan as soon as possible.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How was it, Kakashi?" Sarutobi asked. "I want your full report on their abilities and mindset."

"Alright," Kakashi took a seat. "Naruto is mid-chunin level and his taijutsu is exceptionally good. Jiraiya-sama has taught him the Toad Style and his reflexes are very fast. He also took all of my blows, so his durability is very good. In fact, with taijutsu, Naruto managed to touch one of the bells. He knows restraining seals and paralysed me for a moment. Not only that, but Naruto also knows two C-rank ninjutsu of wind and water nature."

"Wow," Sarutobi said. "I didn't think that Jiraiya would teach him all that in just a single year. Especially since he has his spy network to attend to. He probably left Naruto some scrolls to train from."

"Naruto's mindset is also very different from what is states in his Academy file," Kakashi said. "He found out the meaning of the bell test and tried to get his teammates to work together with him."

"Interesting," Sarutobi said. "I would've thought that the Uchiha would grasp the meaning first."

"He was the one who compromised it," Kakashi said, causing Sarutobi to raise an eyebrow. "Even after Naruto had informed his team of the answer, Sasuke thought that he could defeat me and Sakura followed him blindly. Therefore, Naruto didn't try again since he knows fully well how strong I am."

"I see," Sarutobi patted his goatee. "Begin your analysis on Sasuke Uchiha, please."

"Very well," Kakashi said. "Sasuke is high-genin level and his taijutsu is also quite good, since he was trained by the Uchiha. He's stronger than Naruto although that's just about anything he was superior to Naruto since his speed, reflexes, and durability are high-genin level at best. He also managed to touch one of the bells although had more difficulty than Naruto. His ninjutsu is Academy-based although he knew the Fireball technique, which is probably since the Uchiha consider it a coming-of-age move."

"Indeed," Sarutobi said. "So Naruto is currently stronger than Sasuke, I see. Looks like Jiraiya did a good job; that pervert. And what about Sakura Haruno?"

"There's not much there," Kakashi admitted. "She's a fangirl and is infatuated with Sasuke. Sakura spends her time perfecting her looks when she should be training. And Sasuke doesn't even like her. Naruto used to have a crush on her but after training with Jiraiya, he lost his pointless infatuation. In our team, Sakura is probably the weak link. However, she has very little chakra compared to Naruto and Sasuke so she might have better control."

"Well, then," Sarutobi said. "Good luck on Team 7, Kakashi. You're dismissed." Kakashi nodded and disappeared with his Body Flicker Jutsu. "Did you hear all that?" Sarutobi asked. Behind him, Jiraiya opened the door and came in.

"Yeah, sensei," Jiraiya smiled. "Looks like Naruto's really developed since I taught him. I left him five scrolls and it looks like he's learned a lot from them. I should probably meet him, now."

"You should," Sarutobi said. "Go; meet your apprentice, Jiraiya."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto had come home and was reading the jutsu composition scroll. He had left the space-time ninjutsu for a moment and was currently reading chakradynamics. It talked about substances and their four states of matter. Apparently, change in chakra meant a change in temperature, which meant a change in the state of matter. It was also known as phase transition, from one state to another. He was reading on how he could push objects from one phase to another with seals and chakra when his doorbell rang.

_Who could it be? _the blonde thought. He didn't get many visitors. Just to take some precautions, Naruto made a shadow clone and had it open the door. "Hey, Naruto," Jiraiya's smiling face appeared. "Long time no see, eh? You've gotten way taller." Naruto released a breath of relief and dispelled his clone, walking up to his master.

"It's good to see that you've gotten cautious," Jiraiya said. "I heard from Sarutobi-sensei that you're now chunin-level in strength. Did my scrolls help you?"

"Yeah, definitely," Naruto said, smiling. "The taijutsu scroll taught me the Toad Style, the genjutsu scroll taught me how to break through genjutsu, the ninjutsu scroll taught me a lot of wind and water jutsu and the fuuinjutsu scroll taught me some really cool seals."

"Have you learned to seal away chakra?" Jiraiya leaned forward expectantly.

"You know it," Naruto smirked. "I learned that and I'm learning complex barrier ninjutsu."

"That's very good, Naruto," Jiraiya praised. "Now that I'm here, we can step up your training. Learning from scrolls is all fun but if you have a teacher, you can be properly guided."

"YOSH," Naruto said. "Besides, I've finished all of your scrolls except the jutsu composition one so I was really lucky you came back."

"That's good," Jiraiya said. "I think it's time for you to learn the Rasengan, the Yondaime's personal jutsu. This will improve your chakra control as well, which is far from perfect."

"Alright, then," Naruto sat up. "How do I do this Rasengan?"

"It will take a while," Jiraiya said, giving Naruto some water balloons. "These are water balloons. I want you to use your chakra to rotate the water inside this balloon, so it explodes." Naruto took one of the water balloons and pushed in chakra. The water balloon's sides jutted out but he couldn't bust the balloon for some reason.

"Use your shadow clones, Naruto," Jiraiya instructed. "Why do you think I bought so many water balloons? And the second thing I want to practice with you is the Kyuubi's chakra."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"As you already know, the Nine-Tails is sealed within you," Jiraiya prompted. "When your own powers are not enough to save you, you need to use the Kyuubi's chakra. With it, you can perform jutsu such as the Summoning Jutsu." He took off a large scroll and unfolded it. "Sign your name here," the Toad Sage said. "This is the Toad Contract and you'll be able to summon Toads from Mount Myobokuzan."

"Sweet," Naruto said, biting his finger. He signed his name on the contract and Jiraiya let it dry. Then, the Toad Sage spent the evening with him and taught him some new seals and barriers as well as discussing jutsu composition with him. _Wow, _Naruto thought when he had left. _So he knows a lot of things other than spying on girls._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sasuke, I'm at Point C," Sasuke's voice came.

"Sakura, I'm at Point B," Sakura's voice emanated.

"Naruto, I'm at Point A," Naruto said confidently.

"Alright, Team 7," Kakashi said. "What is your distance from the target?" A shadowy creature entered the clearing and the three genin each moved behind a tree to observe it.

"5 meters," Naruto said. "Give us the signal."

"Alright, GO," Kakashi said. The three sprang from their spots to the shadowy figure although Naruto was the first one to catch it. "I got it," the blonde exclaimed as he held onto the... cat. Then, it began to scratch his face so Naruto quickly pressed into its neck, calming the animal. "Do you verify red ribbon on left ear?" Kakashi asked through the frequency.

"Affirmative," Sasuke confirmed. "This is the lost cat, Tora." They left the forest and Kakashi joined them, heading towards the Hokage's office.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"OH, my lovely Tora," the fat lady said as she hugged her cat. "I was so worried about you." Tora seemed like he/she wanted to run away again and the genin could understand why there were so many cat-chasing missions. "Good job, Team 7," Iruka said, recording their mission as done. They collected their money from the officials for the mission, each getting 20 ryo exactly.

"Alright," Sarutobi said, looking at his D-rank missions. "What mission do you want to do next? Babysitting, helping in the gardens, cleaning the stables, washing-"

"THESE AREN'T MISSIONS," Naruto yelled as he glared at them. "What kind of missions are these? I want to go on a real mission!"

"Naruto," Iruka yelled back. "You're just a genin so you'll do the missions we assign you. And address Hokage-sama with respect!" The blonde huffed and sat down on the floor, turning his back onto them. A vein popped in Iruka's forehead while the Sandaime just sighed.

"Naruto," Sarutobi said. "It appears that you don't understand the ranking of the missions you are given. Many requests enter this village and they are carefully classified into A, B, C, and D-rank missions. An A-rank mission is assassination while a D-rank mission is babysitting. Newly appointed genin such as Team 7 are given D-rank missions since you lack experience. After you have completed enough of these, you will be given C-rank missions. Newly appointed chunin do C-rank missions before they do B-rank missions. Jonin are enlisted to do A-rank missions, the hardest type for regular shinobi."

"What about the ANBU?" Naruto asked, suddenly. He had been listening to Sarutobi and recalled Jiraiya telling him about the organization. Sarutobi seemed surprised but he noted the look of interest on Sasuke's face as well. _It's because of Itachi, no doubt, _the aged Hokage thought. "Newly appointed ANBU are given A-rank missions while the majority go on S-ranked missions."

"What are S-ranked missions?" Sakura asked, causing Sarutobi to raise his eyebrow. _So she's interested as well, eh? _he thought.

"S-ranked missions are very dangerous," Sarutobi said. "They would be to track down S-ranked criminals in the world and hidden organizations that pose a threat to Konohagakure. Now, young kids, which D-rank mission would you-"

"Gah," Naruto said. "You're always treating me like you're my grandfather or something. Well, I've got news for you, old man. I'm not the same kid that used to pull pranks anymore. I'm a ninja now and I want a proper ninja mission!" Having said that, he turned back around and folded his arms.

_I'm going to hear about this later, _Kakashi thought. "Naruto wants us to know that he's not a brat anymore," Sarutobi laughed while Iruka chuckled. "He's a former brat! Very well, so be it. I will assign Team 7 a C-rank mission. You will be bodyguards."

"Oh, that sounds cool," Naruto said, jumping to his feet. "Who are we guarding? A princess, or a councellor?"

"Don't be so impatient," Sarutobi smiled at the blonde's enthusiasm. "I'll send him in right now." Then, one of the officials opened the door and an elderly man stepped in. He wore simple clothes such as a tailored gray t-shirt and white shorts. He had a bottle of beer in his left hand and looked at the three sceptically, "These three are supposed to guard me. They look stupid, especially the one with whiskers on his face."

"What'd you say, old man?" Naruto charged at the man but Kakashi intercepted him and restrained him. "Let me go, Kakashi-sensei."

"Not a chance, Naruto," Kakashi said. "We're supposed to guard him, not kill him."

"His name is Tazuna," Sarutobi said. "You must accompany him to the Land of Waves and protect him from robbers and bandits while he builds his bridge." Tazuna nodded in affirmation. _I hope we don't come across ninja, _the bridge-builder thought. If that happened, they were likely to abandon him and the Land of Waves would be doomed for sure.

"Alright, Team 7," Kakashi said. "We will meet at the gates in one hour from now. Don't be late!" The three genin coughed and looked at Kakashi accusingly, while the jonin disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "Well," Naruto said. "See you guys later." Following Kakashi, the blonde also disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Sarutobi and Iruka's eyebrows rose as they saw Naruto use the Body Flicker Jutsu. Sasuke just looked annoyed and left the room curtly with Sakura following him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, the three genin arrived to see Kakashi and Tazuna at the gates. "Okay, before we go," Kakashi said. "There are a few rules that you need to hear."

"Rules?" Sakura asked. "What kind of rules?"

"As this is a C-rank mission," the one-eyed jonin said, "you'll need to be careful and aware. Take down your enemies and if they're weak, don't play around with them. Remember, our job is to guard Tazuna." Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura nodded and so, the five of them set off to the Land of Waves.

Some time later, Naruto noticed a puddle at the edge of the road. It looked like an average puddle but Naruto's eyebrow rose. _It hasn't rained for weeks, _the blonde thought. _The puddle was supposed to have evaporated yet it's still here?! _Naruto decided that it was the product of some hiding jutsu and he resisted the urge to laugh; reading the jutsu composition scroll gave you a lot of knowledge on what happened in day-to-day life.

When they passed the puddle, two ninja silently came out and dashed towards Kakashi. "KAKASHI-SENSEI," Sakura screamed as Kakashi was ripped in half by the two ninja. _Idiot, _Naruto thought as he readied himself. _Kakashi-sensei just used a Replacement Jutsu. _"One down, three to go," the left one said. But before they could take another move, Naruto and Sasuke were already onto them.

Sasuke landed onto the ninja's gauntlet and kicked him in the face, sending him sprawling back. Then, crouching low, Sasuke kicked out underneath the ninja and he fell to the floor. He quickly gave him a right hook before dodging the ninja's claws. Thinking quickly, Sasuke threw a few shuriken at the ninja, who dodged easily, but Sasuke had already reached him and kneed the ninja in the face. His face mask broke and the ninja slumped to the ground.

Naruto dodged his ninja's claws and jumped over him, before elbowing him in the back. "**Shadow Clone Jutsu,**" Naruto yelled and he was surrounded by a few clones. They kicked at the ninja but he dodged and managed to move back although the original was already there and smashed his feet into the ninja's chest, sending him flying through the air. To everyone's surprise, Naruto had reached out and grabbed the ninja's vest before slamming his head into his neck. As the Clone Narutos dispelled, the ninja slumped to the ground.

"Wow, that was so cool, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said with hearts in her eyes. "You're so strong." Naruto gritted his teeth since that comment made him feel as if he hadn't done anything. _Looks like they protected me after all, _Tazuna thought, relieved. He had thought that the jonin would have done all of the fighting but these kids were something else!

"Good job, team," Kakashi came onto the road. "Naruto and Sasuke, you took down two chunin-level opponents without getting hit once. That's very impressive! And Sakura, you did a good job protecting the client. Now, who hired you two: Kirigakure's Demon Brothers?"

"We were just sent to capture the old man," one of them said. "We don't know anything!"

"Who hired you?" Kakashi asked, looking at them. They didn't answer so the silver-haired jonin just sighed and went through a few hand-seals. The Demon Brothers screamed as they entered Kakashi's genjutsu, passing out. "Tazuna," Kakashi said, causing the man to look at him. "I need to ask you something important."

"Y-Yeah, w-what is it?" Tazuna sweat-dropped and wondered if they would still continue with him.

"I needed to know if they were ninja fighting ninja or if they were after you," Kakashi explained. "From their comments, it seemed like they wanted you. In your request, you asked for standard protection against robbers and highway men. You didn't say there would be ninja like the Demon Brothers after you. This mission is now B-rank or even A-rank."

"We're genin," Sakura said, scared by the prospect of dangerous ninja. "We can't handle jonin and chunin-level opponents. We should head back to the village and you can get some chunin or jonin to do this mission."

"NO," Tazuna said, wildly. "The Land of Waves is a very poor country and a C-rank mission was all we could afford. We're completely drained of money and in terrible situation. Please, don't leave me hanging here. I apologize for my rude behaviour earlier." Kakashi just shook his head and was about to speak when Naruto and Sasuke interrupted him.

"NO WAY," Naruto burst out. "There's no way we can leave this guy! He seriously needs our help and this is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"I agree," Sasuke said, surprising them. "We need to see if we're ready or not and this is the only way. Besides, it doesn't help our conscience if we just leave Tazuna here."

"Well," Sakura said, looking at Sasuke. "If Sasuke-kun says it's a good idea, I change my mind. We should continue with this mission." Kakashi sweat-dropped at that while Sasuke just grew tick marks on his forehead. Naruto cracked a smile and with that, they continued on the mission. Kakashi made a shadow clone that would inform ANBU Black Ops to take the unconscious Demon Brothers.


	3. Chapter 3

Alright, here's the next chapter! Haku's not a female and is not in the harem so there's not gonna be any romance yet. However, Naruto goes on another mission before the Chunin Exams and there will be Naruto x Shion quite soon.

**Chapter 3:** _Round 1 against Zabuza and Training__  
_

"Mister Tazuna," Kakashi said once the boat had taken off. "I wanted to ask you about the person that has hired those ninja. It is very important we know who we're dealing with, here."

"You know him," Tazuna said. "Or I'm sure you've heard of him. He's a short man but casts a long and dealthly shadow. He is also the reason why the Land of Waves has suffered so much. The shipping magnate, Gato."

"Gato?" Kakashi's eye widened. "Everyone knows about him; Gato's a business leader."

"Who is this guy?" Naruto asked, looking at them. "He can't be all that, can he?"

"He is," Tazuna said. "Gato is one of the wealthiest men in the world, due to drug-dealing and other murderous activities. He has many little gangs at his disposal and can hire any shinobi to do his dirty work; the Land of Waves is a little island country and Gato owns the oceans around it. And whoever owns the ocean, owns the land and its economy as well."

"Sounds like bad news," Sakura said. "This Gato guy's the reason why you don't have money, right?"

"That's right," Tazuna said, lowering his head. "Gato keeps all of the money for himself and as a result, our country has become poor and poverty-ridden. The bridge I am building is the only hope of the Land of Waves since it will connect us to the main land and Gato will lose his control over us."

"That's why he wants you dead," Naruto said. "This guy's going to pay for what he did. I swear it!" Tazuna smiled at him, happy that the blonde understoood the situation of his country. _If Gato sent chunin before, _Kakashi thought. _This time, he'll send jonin-level opponents to us. That's too much for all of them except me to handle._

"Alright, Team 7," Kakashi said. "Before we reach land again, there are a few rules you must obey now that we're continuing with this mission. Rule #1 is that you won't participate in any fighting unless I tell you. You need to follow this otherwise I'll mark it down as insubordination. Rule #2 is that you will all escape the fight with Tazuna if I say so. Do you agree to these rules?" The genin nodded to show their understanding.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So the Demon Brothers failed," Zabuza said as Gato stood in front of him. "Alright, then, I accept. Make sure I get my million after I take care of those four."

"Hai, hai," Gato smirked. "But I wonder if it's not too much for you, Zabuza. You remind me of a baby demon and-" He never finished since Zabuza's Kubikiri Houchou was an inch away from his face.

"You're talking to the Demon of the Mist, Gato," Zabuza said, releasing killing intent. "There's nothing that can be too much for me. Now, get out of my sight." The business tycoon scowled before leaving with his bodyguards.

_We'll see, Zabuza, _Gato thought. _You're not going to get away with this. _Gato did not like shinobi like Zabuza to insult him after he paid so much for them; the little man fully intended to let Zabuza pay for how he treated him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They had reached land and were walking at a normal pace when Sasuke heard the bushes rustling. Thinking it was an enemy, he shot a kunai to, alarming everyone else. _I saw the enemy when Naruto didn't, _the Uchiha thought triumphantly. "What's the matter, dobe?" Sasuke asked. "Looks like I have better senses than you, eh?" The blonde just sighed and pointed to the bush where Sasuke had shot the kunai.

"Oh, it was just a rabbit," Sasuke said, holding the white rabbit. "I didn't mean to scare you, little bunny." Everyone's eyebrows shot up at that since it wasn't everyday you saw Sasuke Uchiha, the last loyal Uchiha, hugging a bunny and being so emotionally attached. Sakura looked horrified; _Sasuke-kun's into rabbits, _she thought. _When we go back to Konoha, I'll show him my rabbit costume._

Kakashi's eye, however, narrowed at the rabbit. _Why is the fur white? _the copycat ninja thought. _It should only be white during winter days when there is little sun and rabbits need a white furry pelt to keep warm. That means that this rabbit must have been kept indoors, which can only mean a Replacement Jutsu. So they're already here, huh? _From a nearby tree, Zabuza analysed the group before his eyes stopped at Kakashi.

"EVERYONE, GET DOWN," Naruto yelled and everyone fell to the floor. An enormous sword sailed over their heads before embedding itself into the trunk of a tree. In a flash, Zabuza stood onto the large hilt of his sword. "Well, well," Zabuza said, looking at Kakashi. "Now I see why the Demon Brothers failed. It's none other than Kakashi of the Sharingan." Sasuke and Sakura gaped at that while Naruto didn't react since he had already known that.

"You can imagine my surprise," Kakashi said. "Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist and Master of the Silent Killing. You're wanted by the Kiri Hunter-nin and have a large bounty on your head. It's quite an honour to meet you, Zabuza." Having said that, Kakashi placed his left hand on his hitai-ate, which covered the left side of his face.

"The honour is mine," Zabuza chuckled. "To think that I get to see the Sharingan in action. They also say that you're the man who has copied over a thousand jutsu; Kakashi, the Copy Ninja."

"Everyone keeps saying Sharingan," Sakura yelled. "Will someone please tell me what Sharingan is?"

"The Sharingan," Sasuke said. "It's one of the Three Dojutsu and resides in the eye. With it, a person can analyse and see through taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu. But there's more to the Sharingan than that; a lot more."

"You're right, kid," Zabuza said. "The Sharingan can also copy any jutsu to the slightest detail and use it to the same extent as the original user. As for you, jonin, when I was a Hunter-nin, they told us to flee on sight if we ever saw you. You're an A-rank ninja in the Bingo book and have a bounty of two million ryo on your head by Iwagakure."

_A-Amazing, _Sakura thought. _I didn't know that Kakashi-sensei was so popular. _Naruto had similar thoughts running through his head since, while he knew that Kakashi was the Copy Ninja, he hadn't heard the part about the two million ryo bounty. _He's quite skilled, _the blonde thought. _The left eye he hides is probably his Sharingan. _Sasuke was the only person who was completely confused. _I don't understand, _he thought. _The Sharingan is the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan. My clan. Then how does he have it?_

Kakashi finally put up his forehead protector and opened his scarred left eye, to reveal a bright-red iris and a black pupil with three tomoes surrounding it. _So this is the Sharingan, _Naruto thought. He would have to watch the battle carefully since Naruto would have to know about the Sharingan if he confronted Itachi or a berserk Sasuke. Zabuza grabbed his sword and dashed away, standing on top of the water. "**Hiding in Mist Jutsu,**" Zabuza yelled and the mist thickened considerably around the area. The Demon of the Mist eventually disappeared from view and the five of them knew that he was on the move.

"Sensei, who is this guy?" Sakura asked.

"Zabuza Momochi," Kakashi said. "He's a jonin from Kirigakure and is very deadly. He is a master of the Silent Killing and can manipulate the mist expertly. By the time people realize it, they're already dead. Keep alert at all times and protect Tazuna, maji formation." The three positioned themselves around Tazuna, kunai ready.

"Eight choices," Zabuza's voice rang out of the mist, releasing killing intent. The three genin and Tazuna felt themselves freeze up as they had trouble breathing. "Legs, spine, lungs, liver, jagular, subclavian artery, kidneys, and the heart. Now... which point should I strike first?" _It's too much, _Sasuke thought. _The intensity of two jonin fighting. I'm going to go insane if this keeps up. I should just end it now..._

"Sasuke," Kakashi said, releasing chakra. "Don't worry. I'll protect you guys with my life. I won't let my comrades die; trust me." He eye-smiled at them and they felt the effect of Zabuza's killing intent fade away. Then, a second later, Zabuza appeared behind Tazuna and laughed, "We'll see about that!" He swiped at Tazuna but Kakashi was already there, his Sharingan flaring.

He stabbed Zabuza, causing the jonin to yell out. Then, water dripped out of the puncture wound before Zabuza dispersed in water. _A water clone,_ Kakashi thought. Zabuza came up behind him and cleaved the jonin half but Kakashi turned to water, causing Zabuza's eyes to widen. "Don't move," Kakashi warned, placing his kunai on Zabuza's throat. "It's over."

"Over, is it?" Zabuza laughed. "You can't trick me with your crass imitations. But I'm very impressed, Sharingan no Kakashi. You had already copied my Water Clone Jutsu when you made your little speech. But that's not enough to defeat me!" As he said that, Zabuza exploded into a turret of water. "Sensei," Naruto yelled. "Behind you!" Kakashi ducked as Zabuza swiped over his head. The Demon of the Mist turned and delivered a roundhouse kick, sending the copycat ninja flying through the air.

"Trying to slow me down, eh?" Zabuza said as he saw caltrops. "Pathetic." He quickly jumped into the water after Kakashi. Meanwhile, the three genin were amazed at Zabuza's strength. _He's immensely fast, _Naruto thought. _**The **Kakashi-sensei was kicked away, _Sakura thought, afraid. But Sasuke had it the worst since he was watching the power of a full Sharingan getting battered. _He has great physical strength as well, _the Uchiha thought.

Kakashi re-surfaced and raised an eyebrow at how dense the water was. Then, Zabuza appeared behind him and yelled out, "Fool, you fell for my trap. **Water Prison Jutsu.**" Immediately, the copycat ninja was engulfed in a blue sphere of swirling chakra, which Zabuza had his right hand in. "So much for the great Kakashi," Zabuza snorted. "Now, I think I'll take care of these little genin of yours. **Water Clone Jutsu.**"

Clone Zabuza appeared and walked forward, confronting them. "You're so weak," he sneered. "When I was your age, my hands were already smeared in blood. For the last part of my Graduation Exam, I had to kill to pass. Do you really think you can beat me?"

"So it's true," Kakashi said. "The Bloody Mist's Graduation Exam was to murder the entire class in cold-blood. And you along with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Bloody Mist did it."

"That's right," Zabuza said. "Can you imagine that? Friends that you laughed with, shared secrets with, pulled pranks with, and trained with. You had to kill them and sever all of your bonds. **That's **what it means to be shinobi. You three are just playing a silly little game, having no idea what it's all about."

"WAIT A MINUTE," Sakura yelled. "THEN YOU WOULDN'T HAVE ANY TEAMMATES? WHAT'S THE POINT OF KILLING THEM?"

"You don't get it," Clone Zabuza sighed. "We didn't have anything called teamwork. The concept of shinobi was to live for yourself and serve only your village. However, I abandoned that law by becoming a nuke-nin but I couldn't care less about Yagura and his dumbshit laws. Anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that you're actually not even worth killing. You're like the-"

"Hey, you," Naruto interrupted, looking at Clone Zabuza squarely. "Put this in your Bingo book; the man that will become Hokage of the Hidden Leaf is me. My name is Naruto Uzumaki and if you call me weak, you won't live to tell the tale about it."

"Oh," Clone Zabuza laughed. "You're so scary, brat. I bet you can't even dodge this!" He threw a volley of shuriken at insane speeds but Naruto easily deflected them with his kunai. Zabuza raised an eyebrow and looked at Kakashi, "So it looks like you've got a talented kid on your team, eh? Let's see if he can handle my water clone." Clone Zabuza picked up the order and charged at Naruto, the Kubikiri Houchou ablaze.

Naruto assumed the Toad Style and easily jumped over Clone Zabuza, avoiding his first strike. Then, he rammed his knee into the jonin's abdomen and placed a restriction seal. Clone Zabuza froze up and Naruto easily smashed the entire clone back to water, surprising everyone heavily. "Very impressive, Kakashi," Zabuza complimented. "It looks like your student here knows fuuinjutsu and is quite good at it. So Konoha's finally raised a genius after Itachi, eh?"

"SHUT UP," Sasuke yelled, surprising them. "I'M THE GENIUS, NOT NARUTO!" He dashed towards Zabuza, whizzing past Naruto. Sasuke quickly took aim with his kunai and threw it at Zabuza, hoping it get the jonin to move. However, Zabuza grabbed the kunai and shot it back towards Sasuke. The Uchiha dodged and came at Zabuza but the masked jonin grabbed his throat and held him up. "Are you serious?" Zabuza mocked. "You're as slow as shit. You should really train more, brat."

"Let him go, Zabuza," Naruto said calmly. "Let's fight here and I'll show you my full strength." Zabuza raised an eyebrow at that and began to chuckle, loosening his grip on Sasuke. Then, he threw the Uchiha away as if he was a rag-doll.

"Actually, Naruto," Zabuza said. "My apprentice will fight you. You're already chunin-level despite being a genin so there's nothing against him testing his skills against you. His name is Haku."

"Is he here, right now?" Naruto asked, stepping forward.

"Yes," Zabuza said, letting go of the water prison. "**Hiding in Mist Jutsu.**" Kakashi leaped out of his prison and sliced through the air with his kunai but Zabuza had already disappeared. The copycat ninja shook off the water and joined Naruto, congratulating him. At the side, Sakura was asking Sasuke if he was alright but the Uchiha just scoffed and turned away, ashamed to show his face. _The no-named dobe saved me, _Sasuke fumed in rage. _W-When did this happen? I'm an Uchiha Elite!_

"Alright, Naruto," Kakashi said. "I'll take Zabuza and you're going to take this Haku guy. Don't hold back and finish him off. Got it?" Naruto nodded and they readied themselves for a possible attack from the mist.

"Haku, come here," Zabuza said as he sat on a branch. "I need your help with these two. The Uzumaki brat was more skilled than I had imagined and you need to engage him. I'll take care of Kakashi."

"I see," Haku said, as he appeared. "But what about my Hunter-nin disguise?"

"You can't use it in this battle," Zabuza said. "Don't worry, we always have _her _for the Hunter-nin pretence. Now come on, let's take care of this nuisance and get the bridge-builder." Haku bowed and put his Hunter-nin mask away, before releasing a barrage of senbon needles at Naruto and Kakashi.

"NARUTO," Kakashi yelled as his Sharingan picked up on the needles. "MOVE, NOW!" The blonde quickly dashed to the side and narrowly missed the needles. He quickly sprang to his feet as the two Kirigakure ninja came down from the branches. Haku looked like a girl but he didn't have the breasts or butt or thighs to Naruto just realized that it was a boy. He considered asking Kakashi but the guy read Icha Icha Paradise so Naruto figured out the answer by himself.

"Sensei, you take Zabuza," Naruto said. "I'll take care of Haku. Take your fight away from here since I don't want Haku to help Zabuza or vice versa."

"Agreed," Kakashi said, locking eyes with Zabuza. The Demon of the Mist smirked confidently and nodded before they disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving Naruto, Haku, and the three genin. A vein popped in Sasuke's forehead as he regarded the sight; Naruto, the dead-last, was standing up to the enemy like a hero and he looked... strong. _He saved my life, _Sasuke thought, ashamed. _As if I were a helpless child that needed saving._

"NARUTO," the Uchiha roared. He charged towards Haku, intent to prove his strength by taking down the Ice-Style user in one blow. However, Haku easily batted aside his fist and drove his knee into Sasuke's abdomen, causing the Uchiha to cough up blood. "How many times do I need to save you, teme?" Naruto asked as he made a shadow clone that separated Sasuke from Haku. _Again, _Sasuke thought. _It happened again. When did the gap between our powers get so big?_

"SASUKE-KUN," Sakura yelled. "YOU'RE SO COOL; YOU TRIED TO STAND UP TO THE GUY." Naruto sweat-dropped before turning his attention back to Haku, apologizing for his teammate's stupid behaviour. Haku curtly nodded before settling into a taijutsu style while Naruto assumed the Toad Style. They analysed each other for a moment before charging, becoming a blur to Sakura and Sasuke's eyes.

Naruto intercepted Haku's first strike and parried his second one, batting the senbon out of his hands. Haku quickly turned and tried to kick Naruto away but the blonde held up his hands. Haku's feet slammed into his arms, sending him skidding a few feet. "You need to do better than that," Naruto said, before inhaling a lot of air. "**Wind Release Stream.**" He released a large stream of wind towards Haku, who also went through some hand-signs. "**Water Release Stream,**" Haku yelled and spewed out a large stream of water.

Naruto cursed as his attack was destroyed by Haku's and it sped towards him. However, it had lost a lot of its speed so Naruto easily dodged. "Nice," the blonde said. "So you're a Water-Style user, eh?" _Darn, _Naruto thought. _His water jutsu are better than mine. I'm at a disadvantage here but if I- _"Actually," Haku smiled. "I'm a Wind-Style user as well. **Wind Style: Divine Wind.**"

_A-Amazing, _Naruto thought. Haku had created a gust of wind, which separated into three tornadoes that sped towards Naruto. _I need to use barrier ninjutsu, _the blonde thought. "**Shadow Clone Jutsu,**" Naruto yelled and summoned four shadow clones that each formed a square around him. They went through a few hand-seals before yelling, "**Mini-Four Violet Flames Battle Encampment.**" Around Naruto, a violet cube formed and he stood in the middle.

_Interesting, _Haku thought. He was honestly shocked to see that Naruto could use a chakra-taxing B-rank jutsu like the Shadow Clone Jutsu and had created _four _of them. To add to that, the blonde had enough chakra to use barrier ninjutsu and had erected a durable-looking barrier. _So Konoha **does **have some geniuses, nowadays, _Haku thought. Ever since Itachi Uchiha had gone rogue, Zabuza said that Konoha only had a few years before it was overthrown. But if there were more shinobi like Naruto, then...

The four shadow clones disappeared and Naruto panted; this was one of his strongest barrier technique. Haku's tornadoes clashed against the side of the encampment but caught fire and simply surrounded the cube, strengthening it. "Very impressive, Naruto-san," Haku said. "But don't forget that I'm also a Water-Style user. While you may have taken care of my wind jutsu, I can easily destroy your barrier."

"I'd like to see you try," Naruto scoffed. "This is the smaller version of one of the strongest barriers that Jiraiya, the Legendary Sannin, can form. Your measly water techniques can't penetrate this. Go on; try your strongest spell."

"Very well," Haku said, going through a series of hand-seals. "**Water Style: Great Exploding Water Shockwave.**" Immediately, a massive torrent of water exploded out of Haku's body and crashed into Naruto's barrier. The fire that was generated was doused by the water and just when it seemed like the barrier would break, Haku's eyes widened. The water was gone and smoke surrounded the encampment.

"See what I mean," Naruto laughed. "Your water just got vaporized, Haku. You can't defeat me with your ninjutsu."

"And what about you?" Haku asked. "You can't defeat me if you're sitting inside your barrier the entire time. I won't continue to attack you, you know."

"Exactly," Naruto smiled. "But I've already made my move." Haku's eyes widened and a moment later, Naruto emerged from the ground. He caught him in a killer left hook and Haku fell to the floor, wondering if the blonde had broken his cheekbones. "B-But h-how?" the Ice-Style user asked.

Naruto smiled before he disappeared in smoke. _It was a shadow clone? _Haku thought. _How did he get me with that? _The violet barrier collapsed and Naruto emerged out of it, smiling triumphantly. "Simple, actually," Naruto said. "When I vaporized your water attack, I used the smoke to slip in my shadow clone into the ground. You didn't notice and my clone waited for the right moment before taking you down." Haku's eyes widened as he saw the simplicity of Naruto's strategy.

_What on earth is going on?! _Sasuke had had enough. He _had _to know how Naruto had gotten so strong! The guy who failed the Academy twice and passed the third time with the lowest marks was fighting on par with the apprentice of Zabuza. Not only that, he had displayed high-level ninjutsu and since when did he know how to make _barriers_?! They hadn't learned that in the Academy so Naruto had some sensei, who was teaching him all of this. _I bet Kakashi knows, _the Uchiha thought angrily. _That's why he wasn't so surprised in the Bell Test. In fact, now that I think about it, he was actually testing Naruto. _He decided that he and Sakura would confront Naruto and Kakashi about it. **_I DESERVE THAT POWER,_ **he thought angrily. _**NOT THE DOBE, ME!**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I feel bad for your student, Kakashi," Zabuza sneered. "He doesn't stand a chance against Haku. My apprentice has a heritage that your apprentice could never comprehend, not even in his wildest dreams."

"Hai, hai," Kakashi said, not reacting. "Can we just start our match since I'm not concerned for Naruto in the least. Know this, he's Konoha's Number 1 Most Unpredictable Ninja." Zabuza laughed, not believing him, and charged towards the copycat ninja. Kakashi took out a kunai and rushed to intercept the Demon of the Mist. He dodged the Kubikiri Hochou and tried to wound Zabuza underneath his guard, but he easily slipped back at disarmed Kakashi with another kunai.

"Come on, Kakashi," Zabuza taunted, holding his weapons. "I have long and close guards. And here, I thought that you would show me the power of the Sharingan. I guess that you're just not worthy of having that-" He couldn't finish since Kakashi glared at him, freezing him with the Sharingan.

"I can take insults," Kakashi said, steely. "But I can't stand anyone telling me about this eye when you don't know the story behind it. My teammate's parting gift was this Sharingan! Now, I'm going to take you down with it!" He rushed at Zabuza, who sliced at the copycat ninja. Kakashi easily saw the move and ducked before slamming his feet into the masked ninja's face, sending him sprawling back.

_He's still this strong? _Zabuza thought. _I thought his strength had been drained after the Water Prison Jutsu. Guess I'll have to kick it up a notch. _"Nice," Zabuza said. "Looks like you're not tired, after all. **Hiding in Mist Jutsu.**" The mist came back and Kakashi backed away, calming himself. His opponent was a master of the Silent Killing and he needed to utilize his Sharingan to the maximum to live through this situation.

"Yo, what's up?" a voice said behind him. Kakashi ducked and kicked at Zabuza's legs, tripping him. As the Demon of the Mist crashed to the floor, Kakashi went through a few hand-seals before exclaiming, "**Lightning Style: Electromagnetic Murder.**" Zabuza was immediately frozen as he met static shocks erupt throughout his entire body. It was too much and Zabuza disappeared in water, showing that it was a water clone.

"Come out, Momochi," Kakashi taunted. "Didn't you say something about seeing the power of the Sharingan? Well, I'm going to show you!" He quickly went through a few hand-seals before yelling out, "**Wind Style: Ultimate Great Breakthrough.**" It was the B-rank version of the original jutsu and it released an enormous amount of wind, blowing away the mist. Zabuza was revealed and he was only a meter ahead of Kakashi, swinging his sword.

His Sharingan caught the movement and Kakashi backed off, causing the Kubikiri Hochou to miss him. "Is that all you've got, Zabuza?" Kakashi asked. "I don't believe it."

"Mighty words, monkey," Zabuza said, smiling behind his bandages. "You have a lot of jutsu, which isn't surprising, and your movements are swift thanks to that eye. But I will show you how strong a real jutsu is." He quickly jumped back, standing upon the water. Kakashi leaped forward and joined him on the water. Zabuza immediately began to go through a string of hand-seals.

_W-What the hell is g-going on? _Zabuza thought. Kakashi was mirroring all of his hand-seals, his Sharingan catching onto every movement. "Take this," Zabuza and Kakashi chorused together, confusing the Demon of the Mist. "**Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu.**" Two large water dragons rose out of the river and collided against each other, causing an intense amount of water to pour onto the two jonin-level opponents. Then, they moved and struggled against each other, exerting a large amount of force.

"What are you doing, Kakashi?" Zabuza yelled. "Is this because of your Sharingan?"

"Keep guessing, Zabuza," Kakashi smirked. "I'll spare you if you can guess the answer."

"Mocking me, eh?" Zabuza said. "You probably just copied me closely with that blasted eye."

"Let's see then," Kakashi said, moving backwards. Zabuza followed back and put the Kubikiri Hochou on his back again.

Zabuza went through another series of hand-seals and, to his shock, Kakashi copied them expertly again. _WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON? _the nuke-nin thought. _How is he copying all of my hand-seals like this? It's not possible. The Sharingan creates a jutsu, which is not as strong as the original. But this- _He continued going through the hand-seals while Kakashi was easily able to copy them with his left eye.

"-this monkey," Kakashi said, causing Zabuza's eyes to widen. "I already know everything, Zabuza."

"No, how is this possible," Zabuza yelled, still going through the hand-signs. "You-"

"-can't be reading my mind," Kakashi closed his right eye and smiled. "Unfortunately, Zabuza, I can _see _your thoughts."

"SHUT UP, MONKEY," Zabuza and Kakashi said together. Then, although he had completed the hand-seals, Zabuza couldn't perform his jutsu. As he stared into Kakashi's Sharingan, which began to spin wildly, the nuke-nin saw a shadowy figure appear behind Kakashi. _T-That's m-me, _Zabuza thought as he saw another Zabuza appear behind Kakashi. "Too late, Zabuza," Kakashi declared. "**Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu.**"

Zabuza let out a scream as the entire stream erupted into water and the Demon of the Mist was carried away by a massive waterfall. A moment later, Zabuza washed up onto the area where Team 7 was, causing them to raise a finger. "Kakashi-sensei," Sakura yelled, delighted. "You won the fight!"

"Zabuza, I'm sorry," Haku said. "He was too strong."

"Impossible," Zabuza muttered, looking at everyone. His eyes were strange and everyone wondered if he had lost it. Four kunai came from the distance and pinned Zabuza to the tree. Kakashi appeared swiftly on the branch of the tree, drawing his kunai slowly. "C-Can you s-see the f-future?" Zabuza asked.

"Yes," Kakashi said. "And your future is death." Sasuke and Naruto sweat-dropped at the cheesy line while Sakura hooted in joy. Tazuna seemed relieved that the ninja had won their fight. Haku seemed disappointed and sad, which was actually fake for the next part, but everyone believed it. "This is the end of the road for you," Kakashi said, preparing to throw the kunai. "Zabuza Momochi!"

Zabuza's eyes bulged as three senbon embedded themselves into his neck, before he collapsed to the floor. They turned around and saw a ninja on another branch, higher than Kakashi. "Thank you, Konoha ninja," the ninja said, his face covered by a Hunter-nin mask. "You have weakened Zabuza and his apprentice enough that I can take care of them." Kakashi nodded and knelt beside Zabuza's body, placing his ear to the man's heart. It wasn't beating. "He's dead," the copycat ninja confirmed.

Haku got up, still acting, and tried to run away but the fake Hunter-nin appeared beside him in an instant. He karate-chopped Haku, knocking the Ice-Style user out. Then, in a swirl of leaves, he appeared beside Zabuza and gathered up his body. "This body contains a lot of secrets," the fake Hunter-nin said. "It must be sent back to Kirigakure for some investigations. His apprentice is much sought after and might still be able to become a Kiri-nin if he joins the cause of good."

"Hey, who do you think you are?" Sasuke yelled, surprising everyone. After Naruto showed him up twice and saved his life, the Uchiha had become very irritable. "We're the ones who did all of the work," he said. "Yet you just come here with some speed jutsu and take them. Just who do you think you are, anyway?"

"Sasuke," Kakashi interrupted, sharply. "Calm down; everyone's tired and you don't need to take it out on the Hunter-nin."

"But what are we doing?" Sasuke protested. "You had so much trouble with Zabuza yet this girl killed him in one go. We don't know anything! We're just fooling around and pretending to be ninja!" Naruto also clenched his teeth, something which they all noticed, since it had taken a lot of his strength to take care of Haku. Yet the Hunter-nin took care of Zabuza, who gave Kakashi-sensei so much trouble.

"Guys," Kakashi addressed them. "Whether you choose to understand or not, there are many shinobi in this world that are younger than you yet... stronger than me. They are born with this talent or work astoundingly hard to achieve it; if you can't admit this, then it's your fault for not trying your hardest." Sasuke bunched his hand into a fist and thought how strong Naruto had been, Haku's numerous techniques, and now the Hunter-nin. _I need to get stronger, _the Uchiha thought. _This isn't nearly enough to defeat **him.**_**  
**

Naruto was also deep in thought; while he had progressed an eternity, he still fell short to other kids his age. Now that he thought about it, Naruto hadn't tried his hardest to get stronger and despite Jiraiya's training, the blonde could have worked even harder. _This isn't enough, _Naruto thought. _I need to get stronger so I can protect them; all of them! Until I become Hokage and everyone respects me. _He decided that after this battle, Naruto would train even harder so he could improve on the areas he lacked in.

"I will be taking my leave, now," the Hunter-nin said. "Thank you, again, Konoha ninja." He disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving Team 7 and Tazuna speechless. Kakashi noticed the looks on Sasuke and Naruto's face and he was secretly happy; if the boys realized that there were stronger people out there, they would always continue to improve their skills and wouldn't let their arrogance get in their way. He could tell that Naruto's pride had gotten wounded since he couldn't fight jonin-level opponents yet but Sasuke's pride had taken a very heavy blow since Naruto had defeated Haku when he had been outclassed badly.

"Alright, Team 7," Kakashi said, covering his Sharingan with his hitai-ate. "Tazuna's house is only twenty minutes from here. We'll get some rest there and continue with our mission. Good job, Naruto, and you too, Sasuke and Sakura." The Uchiha fumed as he realized that Kakashi had put him with Sakura while he complimented Naruto. _I'll find out your secret, dobe, _Sasuke thought. _And when I do, that power will be mine! _He was intending to ask Kakashi while they went to Tazuna's house but at that moment, the copycat ninja collapsed on the floor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura exclaimed as the jonin woke up. "You're alright!" Sasuke and Naruto were also in the room since they had nothing better to do and Kakashi's visible eye had twitched a while, showing that he would soon get up. Naruto would continue his training later and Sasuke wanted to know how Naruto had gotten so strong.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kakashi said, sitting up. "I'm not an Uchiha so using the Sharingan takes a lot of chakra on my part and I collapse after using it for a while."

"How did you get the Sharingan?" Sasuke asked. "I'm sure you didn't steal it, right?"

"No, of course not," Kakashi chuckled. "My teammate was an Uchiha and he sacrificed himself to save us. I had turned jonin that day and he was the only person who hadn't given me a gift. To make up for that, he gave me his left Sharingan and I've been using it ever since."

"Epic," Naruto declared. "You've used it pretty effectively since you copied over a thousand jutsu and all."

"I guess," Kakashi said. "It's saved my life on many occasions although I would really have liked to be able to deactivate it. Apparently, you can't do that that with transplanted Sharingan. Now, I wanted to discuss something very important with you: Zabuza's alive!"

"WHAT?!" All three of them yelled. "HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?"

"Now that I think about it," Kakashi said. "It's actually very possible. That Hunter-nin was actually a fake and used his senbon needles, probably borrowed from Haku, to put Zabuza in a temporary death-state. We have pressure points in our necks and if you hit them, it's possible to stop the person's heart for a short while. But they'll be paralysed for a week or so."

"What about Haku?" Naruto asked. "He was karate-chopped."

"They're all teammates," Kakashi sighed. "Besides, the way the Hunter-nin handled the bodies was out of procedure."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked. Naruto nodded to show that he also wanted to know. "The Hunter-nin took the bodies to Kirigakure since they have secrets that are-"

"That's all just nonsense," Sakura said. "I've read that Hunter-nin always dispose of the target on the spot. They don't leave with the bodies."

"Exactly," Kakashi said, looking at them. "So this means that Haku and Zabuza are still alive and will come after Tazuna in a week or so. And they will also have the fake Hunter-nin with them."

"IT'S IMPOSSIBLE," Sakura yelled. "SENSEI, YOU BARELY DEFEATED ZABUZA AND SASUKE-KUN HAD TROUBLE BEATING HAKU. IF ANOTHER NINJA JOINS THEM, NARUTO WON'T STAND A CHANCE AND-"

"Sakura, don't say another word," Kakashi said, causing her to shut up. "I don't know if you noticed but Naruto's the one who defeated Haku, not Sasuke. You need to get over this obsession of yours otherwise you're going to face deep trouble afterwards. You need to realize that Sasuke won't save you every time you get in a fight. And Zabuza is a skilled jonin of Kirigakure and a nuke-nin; it's perfectly normal to have trouble with a shinobi of his calibre."

"There must be some mistake," Sasuke said, barely restraining herself from shouting. "Sensei, Naruto had the lowest grades in the Academy and he's failed twice. Sasuke-kun only entered once and passed in one go with the highest marks in the class and I'm also-"

"It doesn't matter, Sakura," Kakashi said, silencing her. "Even if Naruto had gotten pathetic scores, he is an incredibly strong ninja and I could rank him chunin-level right now. From what I've seen, Sasuke is high-genin level and you're even worse. Out of all of us, you're the one who is likely to get killed so you need to train yourself seriously. Sasuke is _no match _for these ninja! Only Naruto and me-"

"THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE," Sasuke yelled. "I'm an Uchiha Elite! There's no way this dobe-" He couldn't finish since Naruto had already grabbed him in a headlock and restrained his arms and legs. "You were saying, teme?" Naruto asked. He held Sasuke for a few moments before letting go, sliding away. "I was hiding my true strength in the Academy since I wanted to have the element of surprise. And now, I have that."

"Alright, enough," Kakashi said since Sasuke looked like he would attack Naruto. He wasn't afraid that Naruto would get hurt, he was scared that the blonde would pound Sasuke without a second thought. "I'm going to be training you guys for this next battle. You will be much better prepared and ready to face Zabuza's group this time. Come with me outside and I will show you your first exercise."

The silver-haired jonin took his crutches and staggered outside, while the others rushed ahead of him. Kakashi cursed that he was still affected so badly by the Sharingan despite having used it for half his whole life. "Alright," he said. "Your first exercise will be to... climb up this tree." As he said that, the faces of the three genin fell although Naruto was disappointed since he had learned this a year ago. It was one of the first things he had done with Jiraiya to prepare him for fuuinjutsu and barrier ninjutsu.

"Oh, come on, sensei," Sakura yelled. "We already know how to climb trees. We learned this when we were little kids." Sasuke and Naruto nodded; the latter pretended to not know this exercise since he could just imagine the looks on their faces.

"That's nice to know, Sakura," Kakashi retorted sarcastically. "But I doubt you know how to climb them without using your hands." Sasuke and Sakura raised an eyebrow while Naruto stifled a yawn. Kakashi easily gathered chakra onto the sole of his feet and began to walk across the trunks of the tree, before hanging upside down on a branch. "This is what I mean," the silver-haired jonin said before walking back to the ground.

"Sakura, you're up first," Kakashi said. "Focus your chakra onto your feet and climb up. Use a kunai to mark your progress. This is the perfect exercise to practice chakra control." Sakura took out a kunai and closed her eyes, focusing chakra onto the soles of his feet. Then, she began to climb the tree and got up to the first branch before she lost control, scraping the bark with her kunai.

"Impressive," the copycat ninja said. "On your first try, you got to the branches. But that's probably because you have the least chakra in the entire group so it's easier to control." Sasuke scoffed, an arrogant grin marring his features. If Sakura could do it, he should probably be able to cross half of the entire tree without issue. He gathered chakra onto his feet and began to climb up the tree. Then, after taking the first two steps, Sasuke lost control and he fell to the ground.

"This will take a while, Sasuke," Kakashi said as he noticed the look of irritation on the Uchiha's face. "You have way more chakra than Sakura so it's natural that your chakra control is worse. But I wonder if the Uchiha clan is not as good as they bragged." Hearing that, Sasuke shot to his feet and pooled his chakra onto the soles of his feet before attempting the exercise again. To their surprise, Sasuke got another two steps before losing control.

"Now, Naruto," Kakashi said. _I wonder if he knows this exercise, _the copycat ninja thought. He wouldn't be surprised if Jiraiya had taught him this since good chakra control was required for fuuinjutsu and barrier control. However, for Naruto, that was especially hard since he was an Uzumaki _and _had the Kyuubi inside him. Not even Guy could match him in terms of stamina and that said a lot since the Green Beast of Konoha had more chakra than the Sandaime Hokage.

"HA, NARUTO-BAKA?" Sakura laughed. "HE WON'T EVEN MAKE A STEP BEFORE HE LOSES FOCUS. HE'S SUCH AN IDIOT." Kakashi would have to seriously hold his laughter if Naruto managed to do this exercise, which seemed likely. Naruto smiled and gathered chakra on the soles of his feet, like how the others did it. Then, he placed his feet onto the trunk of the tree before running towards the top of the trunks. "Yo, Naruto," Kakashi called. "Stand still for a moment." The blonde complied and halted, his feet firmly on the tree.

"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?" Sakura screeched. "NARUTO CAN'T HAVE DONE BETTER THAN SASUKE-KUN!"

"What is going on here?!" Sasuke said, unable to contain himself. "Naruto's better than me in this exercise as well. This doesn't make any sense! This is absurd; I'm an Uchiha Elite. This dobe can't be doing better than me."

"Jealous, teme?" Naruto laughed. "It's quite understandable, you weakling." Sasuke got up and cracked his knuckles, motioning for Naruto and him to settle this. The blonde looked at Kakashi, who shrugged, so Naruto decided to injure the Uchiha's pride a bit more. He jumped onto the ground and turned around, causing everybody to raise an eyebrow. "I'm going to give you an advantage," Naruto said. "My back is turned; you're not so strong, Sasuke-chan, so I'll make this easier for you."

"NARUTO," Sasuke yelled, charging at Naruto. He drew his fist back before throwing a mighty punch at Naruto, intending to take him down in one blow. _Did he learn anything from Haku? _the blonde wondered. Even if he was turned around, Naruto knew that the Uchiha was blindly charging him. A second later, Sakura's cheers turned to screams as Naruto knocked Sasuke by slamming his elbow into the Uchiha's cheek.

_I should have known, _Kakashi thought. But Sasuke had really needed that since he was letting his anger and jealously cloud his thoughts. Naruto might have knocked some sense into him. "Sakura, get back to work," Kakashi sighed as she glared at Naruto before going back to work. "Naruto, did you really have to do that?"

"Yep," Naruto said. "It's important that the teme understands that he isn't superior because of his surname and a nearly extinct dojutsu, which is the reason why the Civilian Council has placed him on such a high pedestal. Well, I'm going to knock him back down several levels since Ero-Sennin taught me to never take blows from these _pests _anymore."

"I understand, Naruto," Kakashi said. "You're right; Sasuke needs to see that he's not the centre of the universe and I detest the Civilian Council for a lot of things actually. I'll never understand why the Sandaime listens to them anyway. Now, how will you train?"

"I've brought five scrolls with me," Naruto answered. "They're written by Jiraiya and train me when I'm on missions like these or when he has to attend to his spy network. Besides, I'm currently working on a jutsu known as the Rasengan."

"WHAT?" Kakashi exclaimed, causing Naruto to raise an eyebrow. "You're already learning the Rasengan?! Wow, Sensei made it when he'd already become an adult yet you're doing it as a kid." _You truly are Sensei's kid, Naruto, _Kakashi thought. Sometimes, he felt envious that Jiraiya had gotten the opportunity to train Naruto since he had also wanted to train the blonde. However, he had long since acknowledged that he didn't deserve to teach him since Kakashi had never done anything to stop Naruto getting hunted down by the villagers.

"Alright, Naruto," Kakashi said. "Go work on the Rasengan; do you want to see how it looks like?"

"Are you serious?" Naruto smiled. "You also know the Rasengan?"

"Yep," Kakashi said. "The Sharingan helped a lot but it still took me a year to get this." He took his right hand off his crutch and opened it, palm facing up. Then, a moment later, a swirling ball of blue chakra appeared on Kakashi's palm. "Shape Transformation and Rotation," the copycat ninja said. He held it for another moment before it diffused away.

"Amazing," Naruto said. "It looks like it can deal a lot of damage."

"Of course," Kakashi grinned. "The Rasengan is an A-rank jutsu and it can easily take care off Zabuza, Haku, and the Hunter-nin if you managed to catch them. For that, you need to improve your speed and taijutsu so you need a lot of practice." Naruto nodded and left towards the house to get his scrolls, while Kakashi took out his orange Icha Icha Paradise Book. _Time to catch up on my reading, _he thought as he giggled perversely.


	4. Chapter 4

This is the new chapter of my story; hope you guys enjoy it.

**Chapter 4:** _Team 7 vs. Team Zabuza - Round 2_

Naruto gave a shout of joy as he wiped dirt off his clothes. He had mastered the next step in making the Rasengan! He had successfully popped an air balloon using his chakra. _Stupid teme, _the blonde thought. _He doesn't come close to this power I'll have soon. _"**Shadow Clone Jutsu,**" Naruto summoned an army of clones and dispatched them. "Alright, group 1 will practice taijutsu, group 2 will practice new jutsu and continue working on the Rasengan, group 3 will practice fuuinjutsu and barrier ninjutsu." They all nodded obediently and immediately split up into the groups.

_Sorry, Ero-Sennin, _Naruto thought and he plopped down onto the ground. He had promised the Toad Sage that he wouldn't leave it all up to his clones but Naruto had the right to be lazy after passing the second stage of the Rasengan. "Who cares about the old pervert," the Uzumaki said to himself. Since he hadn't finished his jutsu composition, Jiraiya hadn't given him an new one so Naruto was reading it very frequently. Now, Naruto got the scroll and started to read up on Kekkei Genkai.

After reading the chapter, Naruto's eyes had widened considerably. There were two types of Kekkei Genkai: advanced chakra-nature and dojutsu. For example, the famous Lava Style of Kirigakure was an advanced chakra-nature Kekkei Genkai, which allowed the user to mix fire and earth affinities to make lava. Another example was the Scorch Style that a legendary ninja known as Pakura had once used. It combined fire and wind affinities to make scorch.

_NO, _the blonde thought. _I don't have any Kekkei Genkai. _But he wondered whether the Rasengan counted as a bloodline limit but anybody could learn it, making it ordinary. Actually, the Rasengan was left unfinished since the Yondaime never had enough time; if Naruto learned that, he could have an equivalent of a Kekkei Genkai. The other type of Kekkei Genkai was dojutsu like the Sharingan and Byakugan. The Uchiha clan had the Sharingan, with the exception of Kakashi, and the Hyuuga clan had the Byakugan, with the exception of a Kirigakure ninja known as Ao.

The Sharingan allowed the user to see through taijutsu, genjutsu and ninjutsu with ease and copy them to the slightest detail, generating jutsu as strong as the original. It also allowed the user to hypnotise their opponent so they said or did what you wanted, without the opponent realizing. _So that's what Kakashi-sensei did, _Naruto realized. _He hadn't read Zabuza's mind!_

The Byakugan was also a very powerful dojutsu and it allowed the user to see the chakra pathways of the body. They had a special taijutsu style, known as the Gentle Fist, and it closed down the chakra points of the body. The Byakugan also gave the user better perception than the Sharingan and they could even see through a person's body. The Byakugan also gave the user the power to use rotations and trigram strikes to take down the opponent.

Naruto was about to move to the next chapter when he saw something below the page, reading 'Rinnegan.' Naruto continued reading and he was amazed to see that the creator of ninjutsu, the Rikudou Sennin, had the Rinnegan and he made the elements and Kekkei Genkai with his dojutsu. Jiraiya hadn't written much about it but even the little information was impressive; the user could master affinities for all five elements and they could utlize the Yin, Yang, and the Yin-Yang Styles to _create _ninjutsu. _A-Amazing, _the blonde thought. _But how come these eyes went extinct after the Sage?!_

His shadow clones were working very hard; Group 1 was trying to incorporate the use of shadow clones in the Toad Style since Naruto's battle with Haku had made it clear that his clone feints were very useful. They had had no success so far but Naruto could feel the memories of the clones every time one dispelled and he felt himself learn a little bit more. Group 2 was learning the new wind and water jutsu that Jiraiya's new ninjutsu scroll supplied him with and trying to complete the Rasengan. They were successful with the first bit but Naruto still wasn't able to learn the Rasengan, since rotating air in a balloon and regular air were two _very _different things.

Group 3 was working very hard as they were expanding Naruto's knowledge of fuuinjutsu and barrier ninjutsu. Currently, the Uzumaki could set gravity seals, traps with up to Four Symbols Seals, binding seals, chakra-sealing formulas, and set up some simple barrier to keep out chunin at his level. He could also seal things, even bodies, into scrolls like he did with his luggage. Jiraiya had left him some new techniques such as increasing the potency of his binding seals and absorbing chakra that he sealed away. The perverted Toad Sage had also left some more barriers for him to learn and they involved using shadow clones to set up destructive tags.

Naruto looked at his clones working so hard and smiled, wondering if he was truly like that. He turned his attention to his jutsu composition scroll and began to read up on anti-matter, dark matter, and dark energy. The first one had to do with opposite charge of the atoms of normal matter while the other two had to do with accelerating the expansion of the universe and that connected directly to space-time ninjutsu.

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"What're you doing here?" Tazuna asked Sakura, as he picked up some materials. "I thought you would be training with your team, now. Don't tell me that you want to help us with these heavy lifting jobs."

"I'm finished with training," Sakura grinned. "Sasuke-kun is still doing the training, now. Kakashi-sensei says that I have less chakra than Sasuke-kun so I can control it better. BUT NARUTO-BAKA... AGH, I HATE HIM!"

"What did he do now?" Tazuna said, sighing. He couldn't see what Sakura saw in Sasuke; Naruto had the one that defeated Haku while the Uchiha brat just got defeated in one hit. Besides, if it hadn't been for Naruto, Kakashi would have died and they would have lost badly to three nuke-nin.

"He thinks he's so strong," Sakura said. "Sasuke-kun is superior to him in every way yet he can't see that. How stupid-"

"What has Sasuke done?" Tazuna asked, looking at her disbelievingly. "Ever since this mission started, I see Kakashi and Naruto doing all of the work. If it weren't for them, Zabuza and his accomplice would have completely destroyed us. And then there's also the fake Hunter-nin to take into account. Sasuke hasn't done _anything._"

"DON'T SAY THAT ABOUT SASUKE-KUN," Sakura screeched. "HE WAS THE STRONGEST IN THE ACADEMY AND HE BECAME ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AND-"

"Yeah, yeah," Tazuna said. "But what's the point of being great at the Academy if you don't do anything on a mission? Isn't the Academy supposed to prepare you for missions?" Sakura was completely astounded and she couldn't even scream at Tazuna now, who simply smirked and continued with his work. _That makes sense, _Sakura thought. Sasuke had been great at the Academy while Naruto had been the dead-last yet now their roles had been reversed. But her fangirl mind just couldn't comprehend that Naruto had improved so much. _SASUKE-KUN IS STILL STRONGER THAN HIM, _Sakura thought.

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_Dammit, _Sasuke thought as he hit the ground. The tree in front of him had numerous marks across its trunk, showing that the Uchiha had been practising the exercise for a long time now. _I don't believe this, _he thought. _Sakura could do this exercise and **Naruto **already knew it._ Sasuke growled silently as he thought about his conversation with Kakashi, earlier on.

FLASHBACK

_"Hey, Kakashi," Sasuke said after he finished another try at the tree. "I need to ask you something very important."_

_"Alright, shoot," Kakashi said, looking up from his book. He probably expected some hints at the exercise but Sasuke had a question, which had been eating away at him for so long._

_"How is Naruto so strong?!" Sasuke blurted out. "In the Academy, he could fight any of the ninja students and lost to a civilian kid a few times. He didn't know any complex jutsu outside of the Transformation and Replacement Jutsu, and he just barely learned them for graduation. Yet here he can the Shadow Clone Jutsu and has some really amazing wind and water jutsu. Not to mention that his taijtusu is impossibly good and he even took down one of the Demon Brothers and that Haku guy when he simply batted me aside!"_

_"I'm sure you have more things to say," Kakashi interrupted as Sasuke was about to say more. "But I'm not allowed to tell you, Sasuke. This is a very closely-guarded secret of the village and we can't tell you how Naruto learned these things. I'm sorry." To say that Sasuke was mad was an understatement._

_"I'M AN UCHIHA ELITE, KAKASHI," Sasuke thundered, causing Kakashi to raise an eyebrow. "I ORDER YOU TO TELL ME HOW NARUTO KNOWS THESE THINGS. I AM TO SURPASS HIM SINCE IT IS MY RIGHT AS AN UCHIHA-"_

_"Zip it," Kakashi said, releasing killing intent. "I don't care if you're an Uchiha Elite or not; only the Hokage can yell at me like that and even that is if I've made some grave mistake. Just because Konoha has kept you on a high pedestal doesn't mean that you can order ME around. Now, get back to that exercise since I won't answer this question." He turned and limped away, leaving Sasuke enraged._

FLASHBACK END

Sasuke became angry as he thought about it again. _I'm the son of the former Uchiha leader, _he thought. _And yet he won't tell me where Naruto's new powers originate from? No matter, I'll find out myself. He couldn't have learned it by himself so he must have some scrolls that he keeps or a sensei that teaches him this. _Sasuke could easily use his position as the last, loyal, Uchiha to get information on whoever was teaching Naruto since he was sure that the Civilian Council weren't as disobedient as Kakashi. And he could always sneak into Naruto's dump of a house to find out the jutsu he had been learning._  
_

"Very soon, Naruto," Sasuke chuckled, getting up slowly. "I'll find out how you got these skills and then, I'll reclaim my place as the strongest genin in Konoha. IT IS MY BIRTHRIGHT!" He pushed chakra onto the soles of his feet again before charging at the tree. Sasuke got up higher than last time although he was only three-quarters of the way there. He continued practising until it was time to eat.

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"Was in this picture before?" Sakura asked. She had already finished eating while Tazuna, Inari, Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke were still filling up their stomachs. The pink-haired banshee was looking at the photographs on Tazuna's wall and she realized that one picture did not have the face of a person, which had been ripped out earlier. As she asked that, the atmosphere in the room darkened considerably while Naruto sighed. _She always has to spoil the mood, _the Uzumaki thought. But he too had wondered about the missing person in the photographs.

"YOU IDIOTS," Inari yelled as he stood up, eyes clouded. "THERE'S NO POINT IN TRAINING. GATO'S TOO STRONG AND HE'LL JUST KILL ALL OF YOU!" He had made these pessimistic remarks earlier, which ticked off Naruto greatly. After he said that, Inari turned and sprinted out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Tsunami grumbled and said, "Please forgive him. He shouldn't have burst out like that. Father, I'll bring Inari back." She also left the room, following Inari.

"What was that about?" Kakashi said, looking at Tazuna. "Does this have anything to do with Gato's control over the Land of Waves?"

"Indeed," Tazuna said. "The man in that picture was Kaiza. He was a fisherman that came here for good prospects and he was hailed as a hero in the Land of Waves. While he wasn't strong or fast, Kaiza was a determined man and nothing could change him once he decided to do something. He also taught Inari to always protect whatever he cherished as much as he could, with all of his limbs."

"Nice," Naruto smirked. "I love guys like this! They're a great example to learn from." Sakura snorted while Sasuke's eyebrow just ticked at the comment. _Stupid idiot, _Sakura thought. _Guys like this get killed the quickest. _Sasuke had other thoughts running through his mind; _how he could possibly protect what he wanted without power, _the Uchiha thought. _If he doesn't have power, then he's nothing!_

Meanwhile, Kakashi and Tazuna beamed at him, impressed by his behaviour. _So much like you, Minato-sensei, _Kakashi thought. _And he's received Jiraiya-sama's heart of gold, as well. Naruto's truly one of a kind. _However, Tazuna could see the similarities between Naruto and Kaiza since they were both well-built, released an aura of bravery, and they were both fearless when it came to protecting people.

"Yes, that he was," Tazuna smiled, thinking about his heroic son-in-law. "In fact, he became so close to Inari and our family, he married Tsunami and Inari had a father to look up to. Soon afterwards, Gato came into the scene and Kaiza was the only thing stopping him. That devil was so surprised when Kaiza, a harmless fisherman, destroyed a lot of his men without any proper training or skills. However, Kaiza was soon restrained by Gato's numerous gangs and he was publicly executed. And ever since, Inari turned into this gloomy and pessimistic kid that thinks that Gato is impossible to defeat."

There was a long silence as everyone processed that story. Kakashi felt sorry for the kid and could understand him since he had done very similar after his father had died to save his comrades. He used to be very cheerful and did not follow the rules but after that incident, Kakashi changed and it wasn't until Obito had died that he finally realized that his father would be ashamed to see him like this. Sasuke scoffed and thought about how the kid was a lot like him except he had it a lot worse since his entire clan had been killed, not just one man.

Sakura had a sad face but she saw similarities between Sasuke and Inari. _They both have lost people close to them, _she thought. Naruto had been an orphan so he had been lonely his entire life while Kakashi had apparently had some incident where his father had died to save his comrades on a mission. She had been reading up on their sensei after the Bell Test since she was a bookworm and Sakura didn't want someone like Naruto to know more than her.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Naruto yelled, getting up angrily. Everyone had astonished looks on their faces since they couldn't believe that Naruto was going to belittle Kaiza and Inari. But he didn't insult them at all; Naruto just turned and walked towards his room before stopping. "What annoys me the most," the blonde said, "is that he just doesn't get what his father stood for. The opposite in fact; now I have something to prove to him. _That heroes do exist!_" Kakashi and Tazuna smiled with the former thinking about how Naruto would become a great Hokage.

_HE'S JUST SHOWING OFF, _Sakura thought. _SASUKE-KUN IS WAY COOLER THAN HIM! EVERYONE WILL SEE THAT SOON. _Sasuke just shook his head and thought back to the power that Itachi had. The talk on Inari had reawakened his memories of his elder brother and now, Sasuke felt the hunger for power come towards him. The raven looked at Naruto, glaring and growling. _Dobe, _he thought. _Just you wait; when my Sharingan awakens and I found out how you got this power, you won't stand a chance against me._

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"LOOK AT HIM," Sakura screeched. It had been a week since their encounter with Zabuza and the three had trained a lot. Sasuke had mastered the tree climbing exercise while Sakura had spent the days, not doing anything. Naruto had worked very hard and gotten some new skills, which would be revealed in the battle. Currently, the blonde was sleeping since yesterday's workout had tired him greatly. "HE SAYS I'M USELESS," the banshee continued. "NOW HE'S JUST-"

"Well, Sakura," Kakashi interrupted, looking at her deadly. "I'm pretty sure that you didn't train the entire day for the upcoming battle. We can let him rest for a while. I'm sure that he'll catch up in an hour or so. Let's go to the bridge!" He looked at Tazuna and the bridge-builder took them to the bridge, walking at a leisurely pace. Sasuke grinned since he loved to see Naruto not being the brave hero all the time. _This is the opportunity I was waiting for, _Sasuke thought. _Now, Kakashi will see my power._

Around an hour later, Naruto's eyes fluttered open and he allowed himself a moment to feel the warmth of his blankets. _Shit, _he cursed as he saw the time. He quickly threw off the blankets and put on his black-and-orange clothes, before running downstairs. "Hey, Tsunami-san," Naruto greeted. "Damn, they didn't bother waking me up. I need to catch up."

"They're walking," Tsunami re-assured. "For you, it shouldn't take so long for you. Here, have this apple." She threw an apple at Naruto, who caught it and took a bite. He thanked her before leaving the house, entering the forest after a moment due to his immense ninja speed. Naruto quickly finished the apple and let the air dry his hand of the apple fluids. Then, something caught his eye.

_This is bad, _Naruto realized as he inspected the cut-up pig. It meant that trouble was heading for Tsunami and it was most likely to be Gato's men. It was quite likely that Gato wanted to take a hostage so he sent his men to kidnap her. "Not on my watch, though," Naruto said to himself. "**Shadow Clone Jutsu.**" He summoned three shadow clones and had them return to the house while he continued towards the bridge.

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"You're coming with us," the one wearing the blue jacket said. "Gato has ordered us to take a hostage. Now, come on and don't do anything stupid." The taller man laughed as he saw their fear while Inari just shivered in fright. These were the exact two that had murdered Kaiza, a year ago. Then, they noticed Inari and the taller man asked, "Yo, can I kill him?"

"Sure," the other said. "Gato only mentioned one hostage so I guess you can kill him."

"Nice," the thug said, drawing his sword. "I haven't gotten to spill human blood yet and that's the most refreshing." As he stood forward, they were interrupted by Tsunami's scream.

"No, please," Tsunami said, tears running down her cheeks. "Don't hurt him; he's just a little boy that has had everything taken from him. Please don't hurt him, I beg of you. I'll do anything!" They looked at each and smiled but the taller man gave a groan since he couldn't kill Inari. He simply sheathed his sword and headed outside while the other said, "You had good luck, kid. Looks like your mom came through for you!"

They went outside with Tsunami, whose hands were shackled. Meanwhile, Inari had gotten over his fear and was mentally berating himself. _Not my mom, too, _he thought. If his grandfather and mom died, Inari would have no family left and it would have been because he was too scared. _Come on, man, _he heard Kaiza say in his mind. _Protect what you love with those two arms you have. Then, you can live your life without any regret. _He wiped his tears and headed outside.

"HEY, YOU THUGS," Inari shouted, catching their attention. "I'M HERE TO RIP YOU TO PIECES; LET GO OF MY MOM OR IT'S THE END FOR YOU." They looked at each other before breaking out into laughter. The taller man stopped laughing before stepping up, taking out his sword. Inari gulped, unsure for a second, but his determination came back. He quickly charged at him, fist raised. Gato's man just smirked and prepared to slash the young boy across his stomach.

Then, Clone Naruto 1 came into the scene and carried Inari away while Clone Narutos 2 and 3 defeated the Gato's thugs. Clone Naruto 2 easily dodged the thug's sword slice and jammed his knee into the man's stomach before moving away. As he caught his breath, the thug was assaulted by Clone Naruto 3 and he was quickly knocked out from a chop to the knee.

The other thug growled and threw a punch at Clone Naruto 3, whose back was turned, but Clone Naruto 2 intercepted it. He quickly slipped his leg between the man's and tripped him. Clone Naruto 3 turned and slammed his knee into the man's stomach, causing him to cough him blood and knocking him out in the process. _A-Amazing, _Tsunami and Inari thought. _Such teamwork between his clones. So this was part of Naruto's training?_

"Naruto-niichan," Inari said, causing Clone Naruto 1 to look at him. "How did you know that Gato's men would come here?"

"Oh, that," Clone Naruto 1 smiled. "I saw a cut-up pig in the forest and sent some shadow clones since it looked like Gato had sent some bloodthirsty men to take hostages. Clever, eh?"

"Very," Inari nodded. "But you'd better hurry since I think the others have already started the fight."

"Good point," Clone Naruto said, before patting Inari on the head. "Inari, remember, you should always keep smiling from now; you followed Kaiza's ways and I'm sure he'd be proud of you for sticking up for your mom like that. THAT TOOK GUTS!" Naruto and Inair shared a laugh before the shadow clone disappeared in smoke, leaving Inari and Tsunami.

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"So I was right," Kakashi said as he saw the three. "You faked your death, didn't you? Hello there, Hunter-nin-san." The Hunter-nin just nodded his head as he was mentioned.

"Indeed," Zabuza said. "I was quite surprised to see that your brat took down Haku. But it looks like he's not here and those two are still shaking like last time." Kakashi turned and saw that Sasuke and Sakura were trembling again, although the Uchiha had a smile on his face. Out of the mist, ten Zabuza water clones came out and surrounded the group.

"I'm trembling in excitement," Sasuke said. He looked at Kakashi, who simply nodded. Then, the ten water clones were instantly sliced up as Sasuke passed through them. As the clones dispersed into water, Zabuza raised an eyebrow and looked at Haku, "Looks like you have a rival, Haku. I know you want a rematch with Naruto but he's not here yet so you'll fight with the Uchiha here."

"Very well, Zabuza-sama," Haku said, stepping up. "Can I use **that **jutsu?"

"Yeah sure," Zabuza said. "It doesn't matter now anyway since he's going to fight Naruto now." Haku nodded although he was disappointed that he wouldn't be able to use his Ice Style on Naruto, who had no doubt improved in the last week. _I'll just have to see how strong this Uchiha kid is, _he thought. He quickly took out a senbon in each hand and dashed towards Sasuke, who took out a kunai in each hand.

Sasuke intercepted Haku and they struggled before Haku pulled back and swiped at his head. The raven easily dodged and banged his kunai against Haku's senbon, leaving only one hand free. "You're at a disadvantage," the boy said. "You only have one arm to attack or block my move."

"What about you?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You also have only one hand free."

"That's where you're wrong," Haku said and began to do hand-seals with one hand. Kakashi's eye widened as he saw that while Sakura was getting worried for her Sasuke-kun. _How is he doing that? _the copycat ninja thought. _I've never seen anybody do that; just who is this kid? _He looked at Zabuza, who simply smirked evilly. Then, the water around them rose and were shaped into needles.

"I'm very sorry," Haku said. "But this is the end for you!" The water needles hardened and edged closer; Sasuke quickly closed his eyes and focused on channeling chakra into his feet, remembering his training.

"**Thousand Water Needles of Death,**" Haku said and instantly moved away from Sasuke. The water needles rushed towards Sasuke but the Uchiha was able to dodge to the side without being noticed. Then, he quickly came towards Haku and before the latter could react, Sasuke slammed his feet into Haku's chest. The Ice-Style user was sent crashing to Zabuza's feet. "Impressive," Zabuza said as Haku got up. "He managed to surpass Haku's normal speed. You've trained him well, Kakashi. Haku, use your jutsu!"**  
**

"Very well, Zabuza-sama," Haku said and walked towards Sasuke. He stopped and began going through hand-signs; the Uchiha growled and dashed towards Haku, intent on finishing him before he could do his technique. Then, he came face-to-face with a mirror that had Haku inside it and Sasuke turned to see that he was surrounded by a dome of mirrors. Then, before he could react, Haku shot a few senbon at Sasuke. The raven couldn't dodge them and they cut him, ripping his blue t-shirt.

"Give up," Haku said, unrelenting. "**Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.**" The mirrors all shone and Haku appeared on each one of them, releasing a large volley of senbon. Sasuke yelled out in pain as he was cut if multiple parts of his body and he slumped to the ground, tired. _H-He's too f-fast, _Sasuke thought. _I can't e-even see him! _As Sasuke got to his feet, Haku dashed out of the mirror and tripped him before moving into another mirror.

"SASUKE," Kakashi yelled, rushing over to the dome. Then, Zabuza intercepted him and shook his head. They stared at each other for a long moment. "Get out of my way, Zabuza," the copycat ninja warned.

"Nope can do, Kakashi," Zabuza said. "Your fight is with me. Besides, that brat can't handle Haku when he's using Ice Style. So just give up!" Kakashi narrowed his eye and took out a kunai while Zabuza took the Kubikiri Hochou off his back.

Then, the fake Hunter-nin cocked his head before rushing towards the side of the bridge and throwing a punch. Naruto appeared out of the mist and dodged the blow, before jumping back. "Nice job," the Uzumaki complimented. "How did you see me hiding there?" He had been pretty sure that he was hidden properly but according to this Hunter-nin, he wasn't that stealthy after all.

"Hello there, Naruto Uzumaki," the Hunter-nin said, putting his hands on his mask. "You've had us waiting for a long time. What's your excuse for being late?"

"Um," Naruto stuttered before he looked at Kakashi. "I got lost on the road of life?" Kakashi, Tazuna, and Zabuza laughed out at that while Sakura and Sasuke just mentally berated the blonde for his stupid antics. Haku seemed amused and cracked a smile while the Hunter-nin did not react. Then, he slowly took off his mask to reveal... Aoi Rokushou.

"Aoi-sensei?" Naruto asked, taken aback. "What're you doing here? I thought you left Konoha on some important mission that took several years to-"

"That's just a lie," Aoi sneered. "Konoha kicked me out since I had Idate steal the Sword of the Thunder God. I would have used you but you were too young and Mizuki wanted to take his chance with you. But the idiot failed miserably after he tried to execute you and Konoha sentenced him to death."

"Aoi?" Kakashi yelled, causing Aoi to look at him. "Didn't you become a jonin of Amegakure? Why are you on this mission?"

"For some money," Aoi said simply. "Kakashi-senpai, I simply wanted to get some money and Gato was a very reliable option. But enough talk, let's see how much you've improved, Naruto-kun." He quickly jumped back and took off his cloak, revealing his muscle outfit underneath. "I will show you the Sword of the Thunder God," he roared and took out a random hilt. Then, yellow electricity coursed out of the hilt and it looked like a glowing sword.

"So this is the thing you stole?" Naruto laughed. "It doesn't look like much. I can't believe you went through all the trouble of getting this thing." Aoi just smirked before dashing towards Naruto, sword swinging. Fortunately, the jonin wasn't going at full speed towards Naruto and the blonde easily dodged out of the way. "What happened to Idate-niisan?" Naruto asked, looking at Aoi. "He left when I was just entering the Academy with you!"

"Oh that idiot," Aoi laughed. "He's probably running races in the Land of Tea. His brother was a real pain in the butt and I had to get rid of that guy. I really wish I had chosen somebody else to steal the-" He never finished since Naruto slammed his fist into Aoi's face, sending him plummeting back.

"You're the worst Academy teacher ever!" Naruto yelled. "You're rotten through and through and all you care about is power." Aoi just nodded and dashed towards Naruto, becoming too fast for the blonde to move. "**Shadow Clone Jutsu,**" Naruto instinctively said, making a shadow clone. The clone pulled Naruto out of the way but Clone Naruto disappeared as Aoi's Sword of the Thunder God touched it.

"Take this, Aoi-sensei," Naruto mocked, going through some hand-seals. "**Wind Style: Great Breakthrough.**" A large gust of wind crashed into Aoi but the latter just waved his sword and the wind was batted to the side, causing the Uzumaki to raise an eyebrow. _That sword is overpowered, _Naruto thought. _But it has to have some weak point! _He quickly dodged as Aoi slashed at him before throwing some smoke bombs on the floor, distorting the jonin's vision.

"Okay, let's do this," Naruto said. "**Wind Style: Air Bullets.**" He made the Bird seal and took a deep breath before exhaling multiple bullets of air at Aoi, who moved his sword to slice through them. The blonde took this chance and dashed towards Aoi, becoming invisible with his chunin-level speed. However, Aoi was expecting it as Naruto's knee was blocked by his elbow and Naruto's punch was blocked by his hand. "No jutsu works against me, Naruto," Aoi said. "The Sword of the Thunder God can destroy any jutsu."

"Oh, really?" Naruto smirked, backing away. "**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.**" He was immediately surrounded by a large army of shadow clones; they charged at Aoi, who thought for a moment before moving away and coordinating his strikes. As the clones were dispersed, Naruto was coming up with a strategy to defeat Aoi and deal with his troublesome Sword of the Thunder God.

_Oh that's a brilliant idea, _Naruto thought. _If I do that, I might just have a chance. _"Have you come up with a plan, Naruto?" Aoi laughed. He quickly dodged the shadow clone's strikes and punched him in the face, causing Clone Naruto to disappear. "This is too much of a drag," the jonin said. "I can't be bothered to do it." He swung the Sword of the Thunder God and a wave of lightning hit the ranks of shadow clones, destroying them. Naruto quickly took out some chakra-sealing formulas that he had and wrapped them over his shuriken.

"**Fire Style: Running Fire,**" Naruto yelled and spewed some flames at Aoi, who had finished with the clones. Aoi laughed and jumped back so the attack missed him, however he was surrounded by flames. _Shit, _Aoi cursed. _I fell for the demon's stupid trick. _"Give up, Kyuubi," the jonin said. "You can't win against me; this sword was made by the Nidaime Hokage himself. That's right; the same person that made the Flying Thunder God Jutsu."**  
**

"We'll see about that," Naruto said and dropped smoke bombs on the floor, creating a smokescreen. "**Wind Style: Ultimate Great Breakthrough,**" he released a massive amount of wind at Aoi, making the fire even bigger. _He used a combination attack?! _Aoi thought. How could Naruto had gotten so strong after he failed the Academy?

Aoi gave a roar of frustration and swung the Sword of the Thunder God. It caused a massive divide and the flames, along with the incoming wind, were ripped apart in half. "See what I mean, Naruto," Aoi laughed. "That a dead-last like you can't beat me. _Kyuubi!_" Naruto glared at him and sent his shuriken at Aoi, who prepared to slash it. "Oh, no you don't," the blonde yelled, doing the hand-seals. _Ram, Rat, Bird, Boar, and Tiger, _Naruto thought in his head. "**Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu,**" the Uzumaki said and the shuriken multiplied into a lot of shuriken with the equation on it.

"Useless again," Aoi said, preparing to slash the shuriken. As he swiped at the first row, Aoi found that his sword had lost its electricity and become a hilt again. "NO, WHAT DID YOU DO?" He dodged all of the other shuriken and moved away while Naruto walked over to the shuriken and dispelled all the shadow clones before storing the original in his ninja pouch.

"Easy," Naruto said, smiling. "I put chakra-restraining seals on the shuriken and the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu worked marvellously at it. If you're wondering about the fire and wind combination jutsu, then it was just a distraction. You rely too much on the Sword of the Thunder God, Aoi-sensei. You should really use your own power as well."

"BE QUIET, KYUUBI," Aoi spat. He held the hilt of the Sword in his hand and prepared to channel chakra through it, expecting to see the electricity blade flicker to life. Instead, Aoi found that his chakra did not go to the Sword and stopped at his hand. "WHAT IS THIS SEAL?" Aoi demanded as he looked at the hilt of the Sword. There was a fuuinjutsu formula there. Naruto just rolled his eyes and wondered how Aoi became a jonin if he didn't know that.

"Obviously, that's a Four Symbols Seal," Naruto explained. "Since this is a large seal, I had to use a good number of trigrams to seal away your blade's chakra otherwise it wouldn't have worked." Aoi tossed the hilt aside and charged at Naruto, ready to pummel the genin but Naruto just sighed. "I wanted to do this to Mizuki," Naruto said. "But I'll do it on you, instead. **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.**"

Aoi was beaten up to a bloody pulp by the thousand clones that Naruto had summoned. They dispersed into a large cloud of smoke when Naruto undid his jutsu, looking at Aoi. "You should never take on missions like this," the blonde said, "if you're a missing-nin of Konoha. Or you should have dropped it when you saw us but you were probably just worried about Kakashi-sensei and since Zabuza is fighting him, you thought you would get your money." Aoi gave a slight nod before he passed out.

Naruto sighed and walked over to the Sword of the Thunder God's hilt, before retracting his equation. Instead, Naruto's fingers glowed with golden light and he yelled, "**Five Elements Seal.**" This was even stronger than the Four Symbols Seal that he put on the hilt and it would only be destroyed by using the Five Elements Unseal or more complex fuuinjutsu.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_I can't even see him! _Sasuke thought as he was assaulted by another round of senbon. After Naruto had gone off against their old Academy instructor, he had to fight Haku and he was slowly turning into a human porcupine. However, he found it strange that Haku didn't go for his vital spots although he seemed like the character to end the fight quickly. There was a flash of movement to his left and Haku slammed his fist into Sasuke's stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying backwards.

"**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu,**" Sasuke yelled and released a massive fireball at the mirrors but they weren't broken. Nothing had happened to Haku's picture, either. "What's up with you? Why do you have twenty clones in your mirrors?"

"That's the thing, Sasuke-kun," Haku smiled before disappearing from sight. "That's what you have to figure out." Sasuke turned on instinct and brought his hands up; however, he was a second too late and Haku's senbon to the face left his face scarred. _This is bad, _Sasuke thought. _My reflexes can't keep up with this guy. _He quickly concentrated chakra onto his feet and ran off, faster than before.

Then, he was stopped when Haku shot a senbon at his knee. While it didn't stab him, it sliced a small cut on his knee and Sasuke skidded to a halt. "**Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu,**" Sasuke released one of his strongest jutsu and the fireballs shot off towards the mirrors. Then, Haku appeared on a mirror and shot senbon at him. _Good thing I was prepared, _Sasuke thought. "**Replacement Jutsu,**" the Uchiha said and he substituted himself with a fireball although Haku simply shot needles at his back, sending him crashing to the floor.

"Well, it's been fun fighting you," Haku said. "But I think it's time to wrap it up. I wish it hadn't been this way." Haku surrounded Sasuke and then shot senbon at him, expecting him to get knocked out. However, Sasuke's eyes widened and changed; the Uchiha stood up and dashed away before the needles hit him, causing Haku to raise an eyebrow. _I see, _Haku thought. _So he's awakened the Sharingan now. In the heat of the battle no less! _Haku spread out across the mirrors and tried to confuse Sasuke with speed but the Uchiha's reflexes had improved a lot.

_I can see! _Sasuke thought excitedly. He quickly ducked and senbon passed overhead, his eyes capturing everything in slow-motion. However, there were still instances where his body couldn't react fast enough to what he saw so Haku's senbon reached their mark sometimes. Now, Haku was slowing down since the duration of his jutsu took a toll on his chakra.

Sasuke thought for a moment before nodding; he smashed smoke bombs against the ground and smoke enveloped the floor, interfering with Haku's vision. _He doesn't have a dojutsu, _the Uchiha thought. _I can confuse him with this genjutsu. _"**Demonic Illusion: Descending Hell Jutsu,**" Sasuke yelled and initiated the jutsu. This was one of the techniques that Kakashi had taught him after he had finally mastered tree-climbing and it was supposed to help with his chakra control even more.

Haku's eyes widened as he witnessed a massive fireball approaching the dome and he could literally feel the heat coming from it. _What kind of jutsu is that? _the Ice-Style user thought. _Wait, no; I see, this is a genjutsu. _It made sense since the Uchiha was too tired to do a jutsu like this and with his Sharingan, genjutsu was no problem even for an exhausted-Uchiha. Haku released a massive amount of chakra and broke through the illusion almost immediately.

"Wow, that was quick," Sasuke said. He seemed very tired and was fighting chakra exhaustion as he slumped to the ground. Haku made the mistake of coming out of the mirror and approaching Sasuke, senbon in hand. Then, in one swift movement, Haku slashed across Sasuke's chest but he disappeared in smoke. _The Uchiha also uses shadow clones?! _the Ice-Style user was shocked.

"**Earth Style: Double Suicide Decapitation,**" Sasuke's voice came from below the earth. Haku gave a growl before he was pulled underneath the ground until the neck. "This is it," the Uchiha smirked. "I've got you, now." As he said that, Sasuke panted from exhausting so much of his chakra and he laid on the floor. _How much chakra does the dobe have? _Sasuke wondered. He had only done one shadow clone yet, along with all of his other jutsu, he now felt his insides burning up. _I-I can barely breathe, _Sasuke thought before passing out on the floor._  
_

Haku easily broke out of the ground and looked at the knocked out Uchiha, throwing some senbon to finish him. Then, a few kunai appeared and intercepted Haku's needles. "So you finished your battle, Naruto-kun?" Haku looked at Naruto, who merely nodded. He had numerous bruises across his body but he looked like he was still fresh and had lots of chakra. Haku was worse for wear and was panting heavily from using his Ice-Style for so long.

"You can't beat me, Haku," Naruto said simply. "You've lost a lot of chakra while I'm still good to go. **Wind Style: Great Breakthrough.**" A large gust of wind came at Haku, who couldn't move fast enough to avoid it. The Ice-Style user lost his footing and was swept away by the wind. Before he could get up, Naruto appeared before him and placed his index and middle fingers on Haku's chest. Immediately, a Three Trigrams Seal was cast and Haku couldn't move.

"What is this?" Haku asked. "Why can't I move?" He couldn't believe how easily Naruto had taken care of him even if he was tired from fighting Sasuke. Naruto himself had fought a jonin-level shinobi with the Sword of the Thunder God and he was still this energetic?! _Is there any limit to this guy's stamina? _Haku found himself wondering.

"Easy," Naruto smirked. "I've placed a binding seal on you so you can't move. It would only hurt your muscles if you try to break free." He laughed as Haku let out a groan. "But answer me this," Naruto said, looking at Haku. "Why do you care so much for Zabuza?" Haku sighed but he decided to tell the blonde his story. _His eyes, _the Ice-Style user thought. _They have so much pain and sorrow. Just like me._ Haku began to tell Naruto his story with the latter listening in silence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you serious, Zabuza?" Kakashi protested and raised his hitai-ate. The copycat ninja opened his left eye to reveal his Sharingan. "What're you trying to do with a mist this thick? What's your plan?"

"Oh, please," Zabuza said. "Aoi has been analysing your Sharingan in the past fight. There's two parts to your Sharingan; the Eye of Insight and the Eye of Hypnotism. The Eye of Insight allows you to comprehend and see through taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu. It also allows the user to copy any of these three to the smallest detail and thus, the user can copy the jutsu to the same power as the original."

"You're doing full marks so far," Kakashi snapped. "How will knowing about the Sharingan help you?"

"That's where the Eye of Hypnotism comes in," Zabuza continued. "This allows the user to hypnotise others through simple eye-to-contact and you could get your opponent to say the words that you want them to say. Yeah, Kakashi, you can definitely read my mind."

"I'm impressed, Zabuza," Kakashi entered a fighting stance. "What're you going to do about it, though?"

"Simple," Zabuza said, making a hand-seal. Then, the mist around the place thickened considerably and Zabuza disappeard into it. "Now you can't see me, can you?" the Demon of the Mist laughed. "Your Sharingan can't see through mist this thick!"

"How stupid of you, Zabuza," Kakashi chided. "If I can't see you even with my Sharingan, how can you see me with your normal eyes?"

"You're the one being stupid, Kakashi," Zabuza said. "Have you forgotten who I am? I'm Zabuza Momochi, master of the Silent Killing. I can track you with sound and smell alone. I don't need eyesight." The copycat ninja's eyes widened as he realized that he was at a major disadvantage. _I don't have time for this, _Kakashi thought. _Sasuke's fighting an Ice-Style user while Naruto's fighting Aoi, with **the **Sword of the Thunder God._

Then, Zabuza came out of the mist and swung the Kubikiri Hochou at Kakashi. The copycat ninja moved away but not before getting a large gash across his torso. Zabuza laughed and moved back into the mist, concealing his location. "Very impressive, Kakashi," Zabuza said. "Most people would have died from that assault but I guess your Sharingan warned you, didn't it?"

"Indeed," Kakashi said, taking out a scroll. "Hey, Zabuza, how about we end this now? We're both busy people, after all." He took some of the blood off his chest and made a neat line of blood across the content of the scroll.

_Such a show-off, _Zabuza thought. "Making such bold claims, Kakashi?" the Demon of the Mist laughed. "Maybe it _is _time to end this." He was about to move when the ground around him crumbled and several hounds rushed out. Zabuza gave a yell before he was completely held by the hounds; Kakashi walked over to them, the mist clearing.

"What just happened?" Zabuza yelled. "How did your dogs find me?"

"My dogs can easily track the smell of my blood," Kakashi explained. "Like you, they don't need eyesight. So when you got some of my blood on your Kubikiri Hochou, they easily found you." He then looked at Zabuza, his Sharingan flaring. "It's time to end you with my jutsu," Kakashi said. "This is one of my original jutsu, not copied from the Sharingan."

"What is it?" Zabuza asked, already thinking about it. If it was a fire jutsu, then Zabuza could maybe escape by doing a Replacement Jutsu with the water surrounding the bridge. Then, Kakashi went through the hand-seals for his technique. _It's been a while since I used this, _the copycat ninja thought. _Ox, Rabbit, Monkey! _He held out his palm and blue electricity surged into his hand, becoming a sphere. _W-What kind of jutsu is that? _Zabuza thought. The chakra was becoming visible!

"WHAT IS THIS?" Zabuza screamed. "I CAN LITERALLY SEE YOUR CHAKRA!"

"Exactly," Kakashi said. "Your luck's run out, Zabuza. Like I said before, your future is death. **Lightning Cutter.**" His ninja hounds disappeared in smoke and before Zabuza could retreat, Kakashi had plunged his hand towards the Demon of the Mist. There was a piercing of flesh before their eyes widened when Haku appeared, Kakashi's hand inside the boy.

Kakashi drew his hand back and moved away, his eyes wary. "You failed, Kakashi!" Zabuza laughed. "I'm still alive and you missed your only shot at killing me. That was powerful jutsu, though, since you took down Haku in one blow with it. Good thing I didn't get it, eh?" The copycat ninja couldn't believe that Zabuza didn't care in the slightest that Haku, who had sacrificed himself for him, was dead now.

"D-Did I-I d-do a good j-job, Z-Zabuza-sama?" Haku stammered out, blood dripping out of his wound. Kakashi felt sad since he felt that this was another promising ninja that had been killed. Everytime he killed someone with that jutsu, Kakashi got a vision of Rin and how she had killed herself by stabbing herself with his lightning-wrapped hand. _I'm sorry, Rin, _the copycat ninja thought. _Another person I didn't mean to kill._

"HEY, YOU," Naruto's voice roared out. "HOW DARE YOU DO THAT? HAKU JUST GAVE HIS LIFE FOR YOU YET YOU'RE LAUGHING AND CONGRATULATING KAKASHI-SENSEI FOR THAT. WHAT KIND OF A HEARTLESS FREAK, ARE YOU?" Zabuza's smile disappeared to replace a look of pure anger. _So he does care? _Kakashi noticed. He knew Naruto's ability to befriend even the worthless of enemies. _I'll trust you, Naruto, _Kakashi closed his left eye and covered it with his forehead protector.

"SHUT UP, BRAT," Zabuza yelled, matching Naruto. "HE WAS A TOOL, NOTHING MORE. HAKU FULFILLED HIS DUTY BY PROTECTING ME TO THE END OF HIS LIFE! SHINOBI ARE JUST TOOLS, ANYWAY. WHY SHOULD I SHED TEARS FOR THAT?"

"He fought for you," Naruto said, his voice quieting. "He always wanted to impress you since you saved his life. Even now, Haku died to protect you since that was his dream. And all you did was laugh at it and dismiss him as a tool. HE WANTED TO BE RECOGNIZED AS A PERSON!" Zabuza was taken aback and he was beginning to feel sad. _Is that what you wanted, Haku? _Zabuza thought. _I never knew... _Then, they heard a shout come from the other side of the bridge.

"So, I was right," Gato laughed. "Seems like you were just a baby demon, Zabuza. You ninja are so expensive and yet you can't do a damn thing right! Oh, well, I intended to kill you anyways. Men, go get them!"

"WHAT?!" Zabuza roared. "YOU NEVER INTENDED TO PAY ME! I'll show you what you get for messing with me. Kakashi, brat, don't interfere here. I need to pay him back for this." Then, the Demon of the Mist grabbed his Kubikiri Hochou and rushed towards the approaching crowd of Gato's thugs. Kakashi and Naruto watched in amazement as Zabuza cut through the thugs, one by one, with his sword. In less than five minutes, the mob of thugs had all been massacred although Zabuza now sported multiple injures.

"Sensei, will he make it?" Naruto asked Kakashi. The copycat ninja looked at Zabuza for a moment before speaking his answer.

"No, Naruto, this is the end," Kakashi said. "Zabuza intended to die like this and take Gato with him. We need to get him next to Haku, alright?" The blonde nodded and they focused their attention back to Zabuza, who was walking towards Gato threateningly.

"W-Wait, Z-Zabuza," Gato pleaded, backing away. "I'll pay you twice the original amount; please don't kill me." Zabuza pretended to think for a moment before he glared at Gato, slicing his head off with his Kubikiri Hochou. The shipping tyrant fell to the ground and Naruto appeared with his clones, taking Zabuza and Gato's body away.

"Thanks, kid," Zabuza said when Naruto laid him next to Haku. "You'll make a brilliant ninja someday. You're immensely strong for your age." He looked towards Haku, who had died a while ago. "I'm sorry, Haku," he said, placing his hand on Haku's face. "You protected me to the very end yet I couldn't tell you that I loved you like a son. Please forgive me." He looked at Kakashi and no words had to be spoken. The Demon of the Mist nodded his head to the Copy Ninja before closing his eyes, a smile on his face.

"This is Gato," Kakashi said, handing the body to Tazuna. "You can show his corpse to the Land of the Waves. As of this moment, you are free of Gato's curse. Be free!" The bridge-builder gave a hoot of joy as he heard that, shedding a few tears at this moment. Naruto was still looking at Zabuza and Haku, thinking about what it meant to be a shinobi and how they had given their lives for each other. Naruto remembered Jiraiya's words on love, how it led to wars, which led to deaths, and people felt hatred. _Is this what it means to be a shinobi? _Naruto thought. _How can Ero-Sennin ever change that?_

Kakashi observed Naruto quietly and sighed; the blonde was going through the first deaths he had seen and they were shinobi. That was very hard to deal with and since he wasn't in war like Kakashi had been at that age, it would take Naruto longer to get over it. He used his Body Flicker Jutsu to appear next to Sasuke, collected him before moving over to Aoi to collect his body. Konoha would pay Naruto a lot considering he took down a missing-nin _and _did an A-rank mission without getting hurt badly. "Alright, people," the copycat ninja declared. "It's time to finish this mission."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, they were all ready to leave despite the multiple injuries that they had. Especially Sasuke, who gave an occasional grunt as he walked. Inari, Tazuna, and the rest of the Land of Waves were there to see them off. Haku and Zabuza had been buried there with the Kubikiri Hochou being stabbed into the dirt, somewhere on a mountain. Inari cried as he hugged Naruto. "I'm sorry, Naruto-niisan," he wiped his tears. "I promised that I wouldn't cry."

"Baka," Naruto laughed. "Crying out of happiness is fine. Don't cry out of fear and we're fine." Inari nodded and put his hand away, showing Naruto his tears of happiness. The Uzumaki looked up to see that the entire country had looks of happiness and were letting out cries of joy. "Well, it was nice to know you guys," Naruto waved his hand, walking away with his team. "I hope we can meet again!"

"Naruto, eh?" Tazuna smiled. "How about we call our bridge the Great Naruto Bridge?" He looked at them and they all shouted, agreeing with the bridge-builder.

Meanwhile, the four ninja sped through the woods; they didn't have Tazuna with them and while their injuries slowed them down, Team 7 was arguably faster. _Yes, _Sasuke thought. _I've awakened my Sharingan, now. Dobe, we'll see who's stronger now. _Naruto couldn't believe that he had taken down Aoi Rokusho, who he had sealed up in his scroll, _and _helped liberate the Land of Waves from a man such as Gato. But Aoi had become reliant on the Sword of the Thunder God and severely underestimated Naruto, leading to his defeat. He had also decided to talk to Jiraiya more about shinobi philosophy and the Cycle of Hatred when he got back to the village.

Sakura was fuming as she looked at Naruto but was secretly amazed. Not to mention confused. _How in the world did Naruto take down Aoi-sensei? _the pink-haired banshee thought. _He beat Haku, who Sasuke-kun had trouble with even **after **the training and beat our old sensei at the Academy._ She decided that she would ask Kakashi about this. Sasuke was supposed to be the best yet Naruto was besting him, like the Uchiha had done back at the Academy.

Kakashi was proud of Naruto and Sasuke; the Uzumaki had taken down Aoi Rokusho with his skills and saved Sasuke before Haku could deal the final blow. Then, he had also managed to change Zabuza's ideals and Kakashi suspected that he had a part in Zabuza becoming so passionate to Haku at the end. The Copy Ninja hadn't told Sasuke about Naruto saving him since he didn't want to ruin the Uchiha's pride in finally awakening the Sharingan. For the same reason, he said that he helped Naruto with Aoi after finishing Zabuza. _The Civilian Council will be impossible to deal with now, _Kakashi thought. _They'll make me teach Sasuke how to use his Sharingan!_

Around noon time, Team 7 arrived in Konohagakure no Sato. "Yo, what's up?" Kotetsu said to them before bowing to Kakashi. "Please sign here, Kakashi-senpai."

"Right, right," Kakashi said, signing the paper. Isumo wrote down the date, time, and Kakashi's name on the respective boxes. "You can go in, now," the chunin said, allowing the team to enter the village.

They easily walked through the streets and went straight to the Hokage's office. Sarutobi was there, talking to Homura and Koharu. They immediately stood up, smiling at Kakashi. "Hello, Sasuke," Homura smiled, bowing his head slightly. "I trust your mission went nicely."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, brushing them off. Sakura's eyes had hearts in them and while Homura and Koharu were ticked at the rudeness, they dismissed him since he was the Uchiha survivor. "Hello, _boy,_" Koharu spat as they walked past Naruto. The blonde raised an eyebrow before letting out a laugh, shocking the elders. "How long is it going to take you guys to understand that I'm not that thing?" Naruto asked. The elders huffed and left the room.

"Take a seat, Kakashi," Sarutobi sighed, wanting to kill the elders. They still would never understand that Naruto was more valuable to the village than Sasuke and that was because he was the son of the Yondaime. _If only they knew, _the Sandaime thought. "You three are dismissed," the aged Hokage said. "Please rest from your mission." Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto began to leave the room after he said that.

"Naruto, stay," Kakashi said, causing Sarutobi to raise an eyebrow. He wasn't used to being contradicted by Kakashi. "I assure you, Sandaime-sama. Naruto needs to be here for this." Sasuke and Sakura huffed and left the room in anger. _Why does Kakashi still like Naruto? _Sasuke thought. _I have the Sharingan now and the dobe had help from Kakashi to finish Aoi. _Sakura was upset since her Sasuke-kun was upset and she worshipped the Uchiha's little stick.

"Alright," Sarutobi released some smoke from his pipe. "How did the mission go? Did you have any difficulty with the robbers?" Kakashi sighed as he realized that it was going to be a long story; he spent the next ten minutes telling Sarutobi about how they had encountered the Demon Brothers, Zabuza Momochi, Haku of the Ice Style, Aoi Rokushou, Gato, and how they helped to liberate the Land of Waves from the tyrant.

"Amazing," the elderly Hokage looked at Naruto, impressed. "You defeated an Ice-Style user that was trained by Zabuza Momochi _and _Aoi Rokushou with _the _Sword of the Thunder God?! Your C-rank mission has become an A-rank mission, possibly even an S-ranked one. You'll receive your pay tomorrow after you complete your D-rank missions. Now, let me see the body." Naruto took out his scroll and put his hand on the symbol, channeling chakra.

The corpse of Aoi Rokushou appeared, the hilt of the Sword strapped to his belt. Sarutobi nodded and called out, "BOAR, come out!" The ANBU came out from the shadows at the corner of the room, dressed in the regular ANBU attire. He had a boar mask on his face, covering his features. "Take this body to Ibiki Morino," Sarutobi said. "It's possible that Aoi has betrayed some secrets of Konoha to others or has some connection to Orochimaru." BOAR nodded, took Aoi's corpse, and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Is that it?" Sarutobi asked, looking at Kakashi and Naruto. They looked at each other before facing Sarutobi, shaking their heads. "Very well, then, you will continue with your D-rank missions as of tomorrow. Go home and rest! Oh, and Naruto, Jiraiya wants to talk to you. I'm sure you know where to find him." The blonde groaned as he imagined Jiraiya doing his 'research.' Kakashi giggled as he heard that, causing Sarutobi and Naruto to look at him oddly. Naruto groaned again since he had a perverted teacher while Sarutobi just sighed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"YO, ERO-SENNIN," Naruto yelled, causing the Toad Sage to look angrily at him. All of the women in the hot springs gave screeches of embarrassment and left the place. "Why do you do these things?" the Uzumaki shook his head, perplexed.

"Do you mind?" Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched. "My research is very important. Now, tell me all about your mission. I'm sure it was as boring as hell..." Ten minutes later, the Toad Sage's eyes were bulging out as he heard that they had liberated the Land of Waves, taken down Zabuza and Haku, and dealt with Aoi Rokushou. _A-Amazing, _Jiraiya thought. _We didn't have feats like these until we became chunin and we're the Legendary Sannin. _Naruto was already becoming a legend, surpassing Minato.

"Sasuke-chan had to get saved by me," Naruto gloated. "He got knocked out after weakening Haku and I had to finish the fight for him. Unfortunately, Aoi had taken a toll on my strength so I just suppressed Haku with a binding seal. Not too shabby, huh?" Jiraiya nodded, smiling although he was amazed that Naruto could still fight after having a battle against Aoi Rokushou. _This kid, _he thought. _He's got more potential than Minato and I did. I'm sure he's the Child of Prophecy... _The Uzumaki didn't ask about the Cycle of Hatred yet, holding back for now.

"Did you manage the learn the Rasengan?" Jiraiya asked, to which Naruto shook his head. "Have you completed the second stage?"

"Yep," Naruto said, taking out a air balloon from Jiraiya's sack. He put his left hand on it and concentrated, effort visible on his face. Then, the air balloon expanded on all sides before popping. Naruto relaxed and Jiraiya clapped his hands. "Well done," he said. "You've mastered the second step. Now, the third step of the Rasengan is to rotate the air on your palm with chakra so it becomes a swirling ball of chakra. Once you've made it, it becomes self-sustaining and you don't have to spend chakra on that."

"Cool," Naruto said. "Alright, I'll give it a go." He held out his hand, palm up and focused. Naruto reached out with his left hand and made a small sphere of blue chakra but it dissipated away. "You got something on your first try," Jiraiya said, looking impressed. "That's quite good but don't expect much. It took the Yondaime a year to master this last step."

"It took him two years for the last two steps," Naruto snapped. "I finished them in two weeks, you know. I'll get this down in a week; believe it!" Jiraiya laughed and had to give it to the blonde. He was very confident! "Keep practicing, Naruto," the pervert laughed. "Who knows, you might be the shinobi to finally surpass the Yondaime." Naruto looked shocked at that statement and Jiraiya smiled. _He's your son, after all, _the Toad Sage thought. _You'd be proud of the kind of guy he is today._

"What else did you want to teach me, Ero-Sennin?" Naruto asked. "Maybe some cool fuuinjutsu or going over jutsu composition. Oh, oh, I know; you're going to teach me some really cool ninjutsu for my next mission." Jiraiya sighed; it was definite that Naruto had inherited Kushina's mannerisms since Minato had always been cool and collected.

"You're right, kid," Jiraiya said. "I'm going to show you a new jutsu, teach you some more fuuinjutsu and barrier ninjutsu, and we'll go over jutsu composition. The jutsu I want to show is called the Toad Oil Bullet. Once you master the fire jutsu I have written for you, and you should know a few, this jutsu will work as a perfect conductor for the fire. Now, look carefully at the hand-signs." He did the seals slowly for Naruto; they were Horse, Ox, Tiger, and Dragon.

"**Toad Oil Bullet,**" Jiraiya yelled, releasing a large quantity of oil from his lungs. They caught onto a nearby tree and spread over it. Jiraiya grinned before going through some hand-seals again, which Naruto recognized as a fire jutsu. "**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu,**" Jiraiya said, expelling a large ball of fire at the oil. Naruto felt the heat on his face and the tree exploded as the oil was ignited.

"See what I mean?" Jiraiya asked. "Just the oil on its own can also slow down your opponent if he/she is a speedy one. Now, instead of teaching you fuuinjutsu today, I'll be working on improving your taijutsu since you could improve your Toad Style and timing with shadow clones a lot more. Have you finished with the jutsu composition scroll?"

"Not yet, Ero-Sennin," Naruto said. "But I'm almost done with it. You can quiz me on it later." Jiraiya nodded and took them to Training Ground 7; they had around three hours before night time.

"Send a group of shadow clones to work on the Toad Oil Bullet," Jiraiya said. "We'll be working on your taijutsu for two hours. The last hour we'll spend on jutsu composition." Naruto nodded in agreement and formed around a two dozen clones to work on the jutsu; they headed off into the forest. "Put on your gravity seals, Naruto," Jiraiya said. "Did you train with or without them for the battle at the bridge?"

"I trained with them, of course," Naruto said. "But I didn't fight with them on." Jiraiya nodded to show that Naruto had done the right thing and he told the blonde to increase the gravity seals so it would help with his training. Naruto complied and found it harder to move around, showing that the seals were working. Then, they started their spar.

Naruto assumed the Toad Style and Jiraiya followed. They watched each other for a second before Naruto dashed towards Jiraiya, throwing a right hook. The Toad Sage easily batted aside his punch and jumped over Naruto before kicking underneath the blonde. As Naruto fell onto the floor, he quickly rolled out as Jiraiya's fist crashed into the ground, making cracks. _Geez, Ero-Sennin's as strong as ever, _Naruto thought.

He kicked at Jiraiya, who easily caught it. Naruto turned in mid-air and slammed his fist into the Toad Sage's stomach, forcing Jiraiya to let him go. They continued sparring with Naruto making minor bruises while Jiraiya made heavy ones on him. "You're too tense," Jiraiya said, when they were taking a breath. "You use your speed and strength to overpower the enemy; the Toad Style is much more effective if you're on the defensive sometimes and block the blows. Then, you can flip your opponent and restrain them with some seals."

When they started again, Naruto followed Jiraiya's example by backing away and blocking a majority of Jiraiya's strikes. The gravity seals were annoying but Naruto got more used to their extra weight and he tried the flip technique, with Jiraiya allowing it sometimes and breaking free other times. They sparred for two hours and the blonde was pressured most of the fight, which he enjoyed. The fight with Aoi Rokushou had been boring as hell since the jonin just used the Sword of the Thunder God the entire fight.

During their time sparring, Naruto could feel the memories of his shadow clones pour into him and they mastered the Toad Oil Bullet in one hour or so. It was quite easy and didn't require much chakra; unlike the Wind Style: Air Bullets, the Toad Oil Bullet was like expelling a snot-like substance (oil, obviously) and making sure he didn't vomit in the process. Several of his clones puked and Naruto flinched when he felt those memories come to him. _I feel bad for Ero-Sennin, _Naruto thought. _He had to actually go through the thing without any shadow clones!_

They spent the last hour with jutsu composition; Jiraiya tested Naruto's knowledge on several topics in the scrolls. While he didn't remember everything he had read, which was completely normal, Naruto was able to answer most of Jiraiya's questions on radiation, space-time ninjutsu, forces of nature, gravitation, motion etc. Jiraiya had also quizzed him on how he could use fuuinjutsu for these principles and Naruto answered as logically as he could, impressing Jiraiya immensely.

"Hey, Ero-Sennin," Naruto called after they had finished their training. "You know, I've been wondering about something. It's not a jutsu or anything; just a philosophy." Jiraiya nodded encouragingly and Naruto told him about Zabuza's outlook on shinobi being tools, how Haku sacrificed himself, and what the Cycle of Hatred really was.

"A very sad topic, really," Jiraiya's eyes became distant. "I've been trying to find the answer to this myself. Seems like love or appreciation always leads to hatred of some sort. Not everyone has the Will of Fire and it causes many deaths. Here, read my book; you'll develop a very sharp outlook on things." He took out his novel, Tales of a Gusty Ninja, and gave it to Naruto. "That was my first book," Jiraiya said. "It's very different from the Icha Icha Paradise and my main character is a lot like you, Naruto!"

"Alright, I'll read it sometime," Naruto said, pausing for a moment. "How are you going to prevent wars, Ero-Sennin? It seems impossible to do that and this Cycle of Hatred grows stronger."

"You're right about that, Naruto," Jiraiya said, smiling as he looked at Naruto. "But my ninja way is to never give up. Someday, I will find the answer and if I can't, maybe I'll entrust it to you. What do you say, Naruto?"

"My motto is also to never give up," Naruto smiled. "If you did that, I would try to find the answer to the best of my ability. Ero-Sennin... thanks, for everything. You're an amazing teacher!" He smiled brightly causing Jiraiya to start crying in happiness. _It looks like I finally did something right, _he thought. In his whole life, Jiraiya had failed at everything he had done but it looked like Naruto was one of the few things he had done right. "Come on, Ero-Sennin," Naruto called. "We need to go home now."_  
_

"Right," Jiraiya stood up, making his way over to Naruto. "But do you want to get some ramen? You finished a really high-level mission and my training. It's my treat!" He was immediately tackled by Naruto, who had a wide grin on his features. "THANKS, ERO-SENNIN," the blonde said. "RAMEN, RAMEN, RAMEN!" Jiraiya chuckled and he followed the enthusiastic Naruto, thinking about how the Uzumaki had changed his life. _Thanks for making me his godfather, Minato, _Jiraiya thought happily. Then, without Naruto noticing, he quickly checked his wallet and groaned. _Thanks for this too, _Jiraiya thought sarcastically. _I'm gonna be diminished after tonight.__  
_


	5. Chapter 5

This is my remake of Naruto Shippuden: The Movie and you'll finally get some Shion x Naruto, first romance in this fanfiction. Most parts will be the same as the movie but of course I'll include Sasuke and... the rest you just have to see. Enjoy!

**Chapter 5: **_The Land of Demons_

_"__**Shadow Clone Jutsu,**__" Naruto yelled and summoned a barrage of shadow clones. They were in a raging pit of darkness and there a large, roaring, and evil creature that easily crushed through hordes of the shadow clones. Serpents came out of the creature and destroyed clones, one-by-one. Eventually, all of his clones had been destroyed and Naruto fell to the ground._

_"Darn it," the Uzumaki cursed. He got to his feet and ran through some hand-signs. "I'm not gonna give up. __**Wind Style: Toad Oil Bullet.**__" A large torrent of oil, enhanced by wind, crashed into the serpents and began to push them back. Naruto cheered before assuming his Toad Style, dashing towards the dark legion._

_The Uzumaki took out a kunai and surrounded it in wind chakra, making it sharper. He easily cut through the necks of the serpents and rode ontop of another before stabbing it in the neck, causing it to give a roar before dying. Naruto gave a triumphant laugh, thinking, __Maybe I can pull this off after all. __Then, his attention fell onto the eye._

_It seemed to hypnotise him and Naruto couldn't move. Then, Naruto felt immense pain in his adomen and found himself stabbed by a dark serpent, blood dripping onto his face. __I haven't become Hokage yet, __the blonde thought. Then, as he closed his eyes, the serpent tossed him aside. Shion watched as Naruto fell into the lava. "NARUTO!" She screamed and the eyes of the serpent glowed malicously._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_There are many sad faces as Naruto's body was lowered into the ground, in a coffin. Kakashi had put up his forehead protector and tears streamed from his Sharingan as well as his regular eye. Jiraiya and Sarutobi both cried passionately as they had lost someone very precious to them. I'll never see that bundle of brightness, Jiraiya thought. I failed you, Minato. Sarutobi was thinking very similar things, I'm sorry, Minato. The village tortured Naruto and he gave his life to protect us. He called me his 'old man' and I...  The master and student had spent the day drinking sake, drowning their pain in it._

_Sasuke was also very sad, tears falling from his eyes. Naruto had become a dear friend and although he had been very jealous of him, the Uchiha couldn't help but feel sorrow. You were my drive, Naruto, Sasuke thought. The only person that didn't treat me like Sasuke Uchiha, the last loyal Uchiha. The only person that was stronger than me and was my motivation other than Itachi. How could you go? Sakura was also sad, surprisingly. She sobbed on Sasuke's shoulder and didn't care about the Uchiha for once. She was thinking about how she had treated Naruto all the time and he sacrificed himself to save them._

_Naruto,__ Kakashi thought, patting his left eye. You went down just like Obito. You were so young and this should've happened a long time later. He left to find Sarutobi and Jiraiya, joining them and drinking sake. Around a few hours later, they were three drunks that were talking about everything they had lost in life. Sasuke had immediately gone home to train, no doubt. It was the one thing he could do to vent his anger for Naruto for dying on them. Sakura went home and surprised her parents by going straight to her room, even eating dinner late._

_"WHAT?!" Iruka sobbed. "THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE! HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN, KAKASHI-SAN, HOKAGE-SAMA, JIRAIYA-SAMA? HOW COULD YOU LISTEN TO THE CIVILIAN COUNCIL?" He had heard about Naruto's death and was absolutely shattered; he demanded that Kakashi tell him how Naruto could just die when Sharingan no Kakashi was the supervising jonin. Besides, the Civilian Council had asked Sarutobi to assign this mission to Team 7 and Sarutobi listened to them. He broke down, rambling about how Naruto had been a change in his life and he wanted to see the blonde become Hokage someday. Iruka joined the other three in drinking sake, all yelling by night time. The owners at Ichiraku Ramen were also very sad since Naruto had been their regular customer._

_"This shouldn't have happened to him," Teuchi said, shedding large tears. "Naruto didn't deserve to die for Konoha so early on. He hadn't become Hokage yet." Ayame nodded, also crying for Naruto. The Uzumaki had been like a brother to her and she missed his bright cries of "I'M GONNA BE HOKAGE SOMEDAY, BELIEVE IT!" She shook her head and ran to her room, with Teuchi doing the same. Ichiraku Ramen is never going to be the same, the old man thought._

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Yomi laughed as he now stood on the cliff, overlooking Mouryou's shrine where his spirit was sealed. "This is it, people," he said to his four subordinates. "From here, the spirit of the great Mouryou will be released and this world shall be renewed. **Strengthening Prescription: Chakra Injection****.**" Four strands of dark chakra came out of Yomi's body and inserted themselves into the heads of his subordinates. After a moment, they were energised and they immediately sprinted down the cliff.

"Intruders," one of the guards yelled. He and his companion faced off against the Gang of Four, two other guards joining them. "Engage them and don't let them enter the shrine," the guard yelled to the others. They nodded and drew their blades before charging at the Gang of Four. Setsuna and Shizuku launched themselves into the air and jumped over the guards. "Kusuna, Gitai," Setsuna yelled. "Go for it." Kusuna and Gitai nodded and looked at the guards.

"We can't let them enter," a guard yelled. "Let's go!" But before they could move, Gitai had already finished his hand-seals and yelled, "**Fire Style: Running Fire.**" Flames surrounded the guards, preventing them from escaping. "So these are shinobi, eh?" a guard yelled, sweating profusely. "It's just fire; we can rush past the flames." They were about to do that when Kusuna caught their attention by yelling, "**Wind Style: Divine Wind.**" Three tornadoes crashed into the ring of fire, making a massive inferno of flames. The guards were all burned up and they fell to crisps.

Yomi and his gang entered the shrine, pushing aside the gates. "So we're here at last," Yomi said seriously. "Wait for me here since I am the only one who can enter beyond the boundaries of the Underworld." They nodded and let their master walk into the shrine, going down a pathway. Yomi realized that the shrine led downwards into the ground, where there was a secret ground a set of gates in the middle of the room, surrounded in blue light.

Yomi easily walked through the barrier surrounding the gates and stopped just before the gates. "We've been waiting all this time, Mouryou," he said, allowing himself a smile. Then, he put his hand on the gate and yelled, "**Shrine Seal: Release.**" He released a burst of dark energy that destroyed the restraining seals on the gates and the gates began to crumble.

"Who has summoned me?" the voice of Mouryou rang out. "Who are you? State your name and purpose."

"Have you forgotten, Mouryou-sama?" Yomi asked, feeling a bit unsure but dismissed it. "My name is Yomi and I am the last of a clan that used your powers to raise the Ghost Army. I have released the Shrine Seal so you can take your rightful place as this world's ruler."

"I see," Mouryou said. "But where is my physical body? If I come out, my soul will simply dissipate into the air as I'm not strong enough to go without a host."

"Very well, Mouryou-sama," Yomi stood up. "I will offer you my body. Use me as your vessel; with my dark medical ninjutsu, you can transfer your soul into this body." He took out a surgical knife from his cloak and cut open his torso in the middle, holding it open. "Now come," Yomi yelled. "Enter my body, Mouryou-sama!"

"Very well," Mouryou said. Out of the gates, a large flash of dark chakra shot out and dashed into Yomi's body. Then, Mouryou sewed up his cut-open chest and began laughing sinisterly. "The time has come," he smiled. "To wreck this world anew! ARISE, MY GHOST ARMY." He released beams of dark chakra and the entire cavern began to shake. Then, after a few moments, rocky figures rose and surrounded Mouryou.

"Come, my army," he smirked. "It is time to rise again, but first we must get rid of a threat. The priestess, Shion, of the Land of Demons is the only one that has the power to destroy me. Once you get rid of her, I will unite the Five Nations into the Thousand Year Kingdom. MARCH, MY LEGIONS, TO THE FIVE NATIONS." The stone-soldier brigade headed out of the shrine and marched towards the Land of Fire.

"YES, YES," Mouryou laughed. "IT'S FINALLY TIME FOR MY DREAM TO COME TRUE!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The frontiers of the Land of Fire was protected by a series of scouts, that had set camp. It was a regular evening where they talked to each other and kept on the watch when there was a massive explosion to their left. "Yo, what's going on?" one of the guards yelled. "Who are these guys?!" In the distance, a large army of stone soldiers were marching towards them. "Whoever they are," another guard said, "this could be an attack on the Fire Kingdom. We need to send word out immediately." They got to work and began to write a letter to Konoha about the unstoppable force.

The Ghost Army did not stop moving and trampled over the guards, crushing them easily. They released a volley of arrows at the stone soldiers but they weren't fazed in the slightest. They easily crushed through the walls set up the frontier guards and continued to trample through them, not slowing down. Only half an hour had passed but the Ghost Army had destroyed the frontier. One injured soldier got up painfully and walked over to the fallen table, where the letter was. He tied to a falcon and said, "Go to Konoha and warn them about this." The falcon turned its head before flying off. The soldier sighed in relief before succumbing to his injuries.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"SILENCE," Sarutobi's voice rang out and the Civilian Council quietened immediately. The elderly Hokage still had an air of authority, despite having ruled for five and a half decades. "We are here to discuss the message we have received from the Land of Fire's frontier," he said. "It appears that an army is marching through the Fire Kingdom and is destroying everything in its path. There have been similar attacks on the other four nations, as well."

"WHAT DO WE DO, HOKAGE-SAMA?" a civilian yelled. "THIS VILLAGE IS OUR HOME; WE DON'T WANNA DIE YET. WE NEED TO MIGRATE AWAY OR-" Sarutobi sighed and looked at him, releasing some of his chakra. The Sandaime's chakra was always described as warm and soothing, like a leaf in sunshine, and it calmed down the civilian. "Relax, Kazumi-san," Sarutobi said. "We are currently sending our jonin and chunin to combat the Ghost Army."

"Hiruzen," Danzo interrupted. "I'm sure you remember what happened when this army came the last time? Your troops won't do much damage to it if Mouryou-"

"I am well aware, Danzo," Sarutobi said, fixing him in a glare. "Realize that _all _the chunin and jonin of the Five Nations will attack this army and while we're doing that, we will send a team to find the priestess Shion. She has the power to stop this demon by sealing his soul away and is the daughter of Miroku. I trust you remember her, Danzo, Homura, and Koharu." They all nodded, satisfied at his explanation.

"But what team are you sending, Hokage-sama?" Shikaku asked. "You can't send any chunin and jonin since they're busy with the army. Are you thinking of sending ANBU Black Ops?"

"No," Sarutobi sighed. "The ANBU will keep me posted on how the battle is going. I've decided to send a genin team to get the priestess." At this, the civilians began to start shouting and talking about how a genin team would not have enough experience, etc. Then, they felt killing intent come to them from the shinobi heads and the villagers immediately shut up.

"Are you saying our children are weak?" Inoichi asked, shooting them a deathly glare. "The genin teams consist of kids from the Hyuuga, Aburame, Inuzuka, Uchiha, Uzumaki, Nara, Akimichi and Yamanaka clans!" The civilians became confused when Inoichi said 'Uzumaki' and Sakura's mom decided to speak up about it.

"What do you mean, Inoichi-sama?" she laughed. "There's no Uzumaki clan; Naruto's mom was some slut that got pregnant and-" She shut up since she was karate-chopped by Jiraiya, who appeared in a swirl of leaves. Everybody almost crapped themselves in their pants when they saw the angry look on the Toad Sage's face. "Take her out of here," Sarutobi ordered and two ANBU gathered Sakura's mom before disappearing with the Body Flicker Jutsu.

"The Uzumaki clan was a very legendary clan," Sarutobi explained to the other civilians. "They were masters of fuuinjutsu, the art of seals, and were on par with the Senju and Uchiha clans back in Hashirama-sensei's day. In fact, they had the potential to be even greater than the Uchiha and Senju clans. During the Second Shinobi War, they were destroyed because people feared their growing power and the few survivors are scattered across the globe. Apparently, Naruto Uzumaki arrived here in Konoha. His parents were very shady characters and we don't know much about them." The last part was a lie but nobody except him and Jiraiya knew. The entire civilian body and some shinobi clan heads were surprised at Naruto's ancestry.

"Can we get back to which team we're selecting?" Danzo said, causing them to turn their attention back. "I think Sasuke Uchiha's team should go since we have to give the last loyal Uchiha some difficult missions." Sarutobi and Jiraiya's eyebrows shot up while the civilian part of the Council began to nod. The elders seemed torn between siding with Danzo or Sarutobi.

"They just came back from an A-rank mission last week," Sarutobi said. "They took down Aoi Rokushou, Zabuza Momochi, and Gato. I think they should have more time to recuperate from the Land of the Waves mission."

"Nonsense," a civilian member said. "Sasuke-sama took down Aoi so he's strong enough to fight jonin-"

"Who told you this?" Jiraiya asked, his teeth clenched. "Naruto was the one that took down Aoi and if Sarutobi-sensei lets Team 7 go on this mission, it'll be only because of Naruto."

"WHAT?!" everybody exclaimed. "NARUTO did that?!" Jiraiya nodded, smiling at the shocked expressions of their face.

"This is unfair," a civilian said. "You've taught him to become even more dangerous than he was already, Jiraiya-sama. We should have him show all of his jutsu to Sasuke-sama so he can copy them and become the strongest genin in the village." To everybody's surprise, the elders and civilians nodded at this to show their assent. _God, I hate them sometimes, _Sarutobi thought. His former teammates were often clouded by the Sharingan's abilities, not unlike his former student.

"Never," Jiraiya said, glaring at them. "Naruto has something that Uchiha kid will never have: the guts to never give up. Why would I want to teach the Uchiha kid? He thinks he's superior to everybody due to him being an Uchiha. Naruto has never displayed this behaviour and the kid seriously needed my help otherwise he would've ended up dead with those ninja skills. The instructors at the Academy, aside from Iruka, did nothing to help Naruto and only sabotaged his skills even more. AND SASUKE WILL NOT COPY ANY OF NARUTO'S JUTSU IF HE KNOWS WHAT'S GOOD FOR HIM!" Everyone was completely stunned at the Toad Sage's words and couldn't say anything.

"Very well," Sarutobi said, smiling at Jiraiya. He was glad to see that his student was not making the same mistake he had made by choosing the one with the most talent. "I'm going to send Team 7 on this mission however that's only because Naruto has shown feats that are chunin-level. Besides, you people seem to think that Sasuke is strong enough to handle it. However, they need a captain since Kakashi is currently in the jonin army against the Ghost Army. I have just the man, Yamato." A man appeared out of the shadows.

"He used to be known as BOAR," Sarutobi informed them. "Yamato, you will lead Team 7 for this mission since Kakashi is trying to stall the stone army along with the other forces. Understood?" The man nodded and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Danzo had recognized the man immediately as one of Orochimaru's test subjects. "Well, then," Sarutobi stood up, causing all of the others to follow. "This council is now dismissed."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ero-Sennin, you're late," Naruto said when Jiraiya showed up. "Don't tell me you're turning into Kakashi-sensei, now." The pervert chuckled and shook his head but Naruto caught worry in his features. "What's wrong, Ero-Sennin?" the Uzumaki asked. "You look nervous for some reason." Jiraiya nodded before telling Naruto about the current situation.

"Damn," Naruto said. "This is really bad news. I really hope we can keep the Ghost Army at bay for now. I need to go on this mission immediately."

"Be careful, Naruto," Jiraiya said. "Moryou is not someone, or I should say something, you should trifle with. What about your training? Have you practised the Wind Style: Toad Oil Bullet?"

"Yep," Naruto said. "I've learned that and my taijutsu's also improved a lot. I've also gotten used to these gravity seals so I might have to increase their level when I come back from the mission."

"Make sure you use the copyright seal," Jiraiya said. "Since Sasuke's unlocked his Sharingan, I'm sure he'll try to copy your techniques so make sure you put the seal before you enter combat."

"There's no need," Naruto said. He raised his jacket and t-shirt to show Jiraiya the copyright seal, which was engraved on his chest. "I keep it on me the entire time so I don't waste precious time before fighting. What'd you say, Ero-Sennin?"

"Good job," Jiraiya smiled. "Don't forget to take off your gravity seals when you go on the mission. And try to finish the Rasengan since you were pretty close yesterday. Now, go and pack up quickly! I'm expecting to see you in one piece, alright, Naruto?" The blonde nodded before disappearing with the Body Flicker Jutsu, leaving Jiraiya to do his research.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hello, my name is Yamato," Yamato introduced himself. "I will be your jonin captain for this mission since Kakashi-senpai is currently engaged in stalling the Ghost Army. I presume the Sandaime has briefed you on the details of this mission?" They nodded and Yamato added, "Good; let's head out for the Land of Demons."

"YOSH," Naruto said, striking up his fist. He was thrilled at the prospect of fighting new enemies since his fight with Aoi Rokushou had been a massive disappointment. Besides, he really wanted to try out the Rasengan since he had almost completed the third stage yesterday although he had yet to do it. _This is it, _the blonde thought. _Time to save the world!_

_I've got my Sharingan now, _Sasuke thought triumphantly. _Your jutsu are now mine. _Through some intense training, Sasuke's left eye had gained a tomoe so he now had two tomoes in each eye. At first he had trouble summoning it but now he could do it at will. _Just wait, Naruto-baka, _Sakura thought, eyeing the blonde viciously. _Now that Sasuke-kun has his Sharingan, you don't stand a chance!_

Yamato took one look at them and he could already see the Legendary Sannin with some minor differences. Naruto was the loud braggart, like Jiraiya, while Sakura was the annoyed one, like Tsunade, and Sasuke was quiet but had a excited look on his face. _He's like Orochimaru, _Yamato realized. Sarutobi had told him, however, that Naruto was stronger than Sasuke which was different for the Sannin when they were younger. Jiraiya would also lose to Orochimaru.

"Alright, I will give you a position," Yamato said. "This position is given to you, with respect to your skills, and it will be beneficial to the mission. Listen up, Sakura, you're gonna be backup for us since your kunai and shuriken skills are very good. Sasuke, you're going to be the line of defence and will help Naruto if he falls into any kind of trouble. Naruto, you're our powerhouse and you'll be the one to attack primarily with Sasuke right behind you. Got it?" They nodded and continued on their way.

_Why is the dobe in the first position? _Sasuke wondered. _And why the hell am I secondary offence? _Sakura also agreed and felt that Naruto should back-up Sasuke, who had more power than him. However, she was having trouble keeping up with Yamato and the boys, who were moving from branch-to-branch with greater ease and speed than her. Yamato noticed this and thought, _This girl really needs some physical training otherwise she'll never keep up._

After a while, they reached the Land of Demons and made it just in time to see the dojo getting attacked. "Wait, what's going on here?" Yamato asked. "Alright, first-" He was interrupted by Naruto, who had already gone off to engage the four of them. "THAT IDIOT," Sakura screeched. "HE DIDN'T EVEN LISTEN TO THE ORDERS AND-" Yamato interrupted her with a hand and pointed to the dojo. They were amazed to see that Naruto was being stealthy and was sneaking up on the Gang of Four.

_Idiot?! _Naruto thought as he took out his binding tags. _What do they take me for? _He quickly threw the tags towards them and they were each paralysed. "W-What is this?" Gitai yelled out. The other three tried to answer but found that they couldn't move their jaws. Shion and her guard left through a secret pathway and Naruto quickly made a shadow clone that covered the entrance. "You're not getting past here," Clone Naruto said, causing the Gang of Four to narrow their eyes.

"This can't stop us!" Setsuna declared. Then, they released a massive amount of dark chakra and broke through the binding seals holding them. Setsuna charged at Clone Naruto, slicing at him. To their shock, Clone Naruto disappeared in smoke and Naruto launched himself at them, kicking Gitai in the gut. He quickly dodged Kusuna's punch and tripped him before throwing him out of the hole in the wall. Setsuna threw a punch at Naruto but the Uzumaki caught it and flipped him up before also throwing him out of the hole. Shizuka screeched and kicked at Naruto but the blonde jumped over her and kicked underneath her, before also throwing her outside.

"Wow," Yamato said. "This kid's got some serious skills." _I didn't think Jiraiya-sama would teach him this much in a year, _the Wood-Style user thought. Sasuke, who had his Sharingan activated, groaned in anger since he couldn't copy any of Naruto's moves for some reason. Whenever he tried to focus on the Uzumaki, his eyesight would get disorientated and Sasuke had to look away. _What on earth is going on?! _the Uchiha thought. _The Sharingan can copy any taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu unless it's another Kekkei Genkai. This doesn't make any sense!_

Naruto came out of the hole and jumped outside to confront the Gang of Four that had assembled. "Man, you're good, kid," Shizuku complimented. "But it's going to take more than that half-assed taijutsu to beat us." She went through some hand-seals before yelling out, "**Fire Style: Running Fire.**" A large ring of fire came towards Naruto, who immediately crouched and went through his own hand-seals. "That won't work on me," the Uzumaki said. "**Water Style: Wild Water Wave.**" The wave of water doused out Gitai's fire jutsu.

_It happened again, _Sasuke thought, incredulously. _I could copy that guy's jutsu but I can't copy Naruto's jutsu! The same thing happens again! _He decided to give up and try to copy as many of the enemies' techniques as possible. "Gitai, Setsuna, Shizuku," Kusuna said. "I'm going after the priestess; dish out a fire, wind, earth combo." He disappeared in a blur and Gitai took his place, his voice amused.

"Let's see you take this," Gitai said, making a Snake hand-seal. "**Earth Style: Earth Corridor.**" The earth around Naruto began to rise but the blonde was already on the move. "**Shadow Clone Jutsu,**" Naruto yelled, forming three clones. They formed a triangle around Naruto before clapping their hands together. "Your earth jutsu's useless," the Uzumaki smirked. "**Lightning Style: Thunder Binding.**"

The rising earth collided against Naruto's barrier, the lightning breaking through the earth easily. "This isn't possible!" Shizuku screeched. "How can a brat like you be doing barrier ninjutsu? It's unheard of!" Naruto smiled before yelling out, "**Exploding Release.**" The barrier around him was released but it resulted in an explosion of static, completely ripping through the earth.

_A-Amazing, _Sasuke thought, amazement overpowering his jealousy. _Naruto's holding his own against those three! How, just how, did he get so strong?! _Sasuke fumed in anger and jealousy at how Naruto was using barrier ninjutsu and high-level ninjutsu, as well outclassing his opponents in taijutsu as well. And his Sharingan couldn't copy any of them; well, at least he had the fire and earth jutsu that the three had done. What worsened the Uchiha's mood was that the Civilian Council hadn't told him either how Naruto had been so strong. _And I thought they would be more obedient than Kakashi, _Sasuke thought.

_This kid is something else, _Yamato thought. _He's definitely chunin-level. _Barrier ninjutsu of that calibre, high-level ninjutsu, and taijutsu like his were very impressive in someone who had failed the Academy twice and passed the third time with satisfactory grades. He turned and felt angry when he saw Sasuke looking at the fight greedily with his Sharingan. Sakura was just blushing as she looked at Sasuke and seemed pissed when she looked at Naruto fighting. _Kakashi-senpai, _Yamato thought. _How do you handle these two?_

"We're not done yet, brat," Setsuna laughed, going through a set of hand-signs. "**Wind Style: Godly Wind from the Mountains.**" It rushed towards Naruto, who simply laughed. "Is this it?" the Uzumaki gloated before inhaling a good amount of air. "**Toad Oil Bullet.**" He expelled a large volume of oil, which blasted towards Setsuna's attack. The wind simply augmented Naruto's oil and it dashed towards them with twice the speed. "WATCH OUT!" Shizuku yelled, and the three narrowly dodged to the side.

"Seems like Naruto's doing fine here," Yamato said, turning his attention to the side. "My wood clone tells me that Shion is with one of her guards next to a waterfall. They have the fourth ninja from this group following them. I can handle him without problem; you two stay here and help Naruto, then catch up with me." Sasuke and Sakura nodded before entering the battle. Yamato looked at them for a moment before dashing off, intent on catching up with Shion as soon as possible.

"Hey, guys," Naruto greeted. "You here to join the fun, teme?" He laughed when he saw the looks on their faces.

"Yep," Sasuke grinned, his Sharingan flaring. "This'll be over in an instant." He shot off towards the three of them, intent of beating them up. Gitai punched at Sasuke but the latter's eyes allowed him to see the move, turning at the last moment. Then, using the Uchiha Style, Sasuke brought up his knee and rammed it into Gitai's chin. The man was sent sprawling but Setsuna appeared, kicking at Sasuke. The Uchiha dodged but he couldn't react fast enough to stop Shizuku from kicking him in the back, sending him flying away.

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he rushed to save the Uchiha. _His taijutsu's improved, _the blonde noticed. _I guess the Uchiha Style is meant to be used after the Sharingan has been unlocked. _He quickly caught Sasuke and set him onto the ground. "Go away, Naruto," the raven yelled. "I don't need your help here." Naruto just rolled his eyes and made a hand-seal, "**Shadow Clone Jutsu.**"

Around Naruto, two dozen shadow clones appeared and the faces of the three fell. "I'm running low on chakra, guys," Shizuku said. "We need to recharge; we wasted too much chakra." The other two nodded and they immediately set off, with Naruto and his clones following in suit. Sasuke groaned but managed to stand up, and soon followed Naruto. Sakura felt sad that the Uchiha hadn't even looked at her so she set after Sasuke, wanting to catch the raven's attention.

As Taruho, Shion's assistant, carried Shion to cross the waterfall, Yamato ran out of it and came at Taruho with blinding speed. _W-What's going on?! _he thought, closing his eyes. When he opened them, he realized that Yamato had grabbed both of Kusuna's hands behind him, who was about to assassinate him. "Thanks, ninja," Taruho said. Yamato nodded but didn't reply; he allowed Taruho to escape and then pushed Kusuna away before coming up with a uppercut.

Kusuna was launched into the air but regained his footing. There, he was joined by the other three of his gang. "What're you imbeciles doing here?" Kusuna raged. "You're supposed to be fighting the other three."

"We can't," Shizuku said. "The blonde's too strong and the other one is skilled enough that we need the entire group to overpower him. Not to mention that we're running low on chakra!"

"Very well," Kusuna said. "We're going to have to retreat. COME ON!" They nodded and the group managed to escape the waterfall. A moment later, Naruto and his clones arrived to see that the Gang of Four had escaped. "Aw, come on," Naruto groaned, dispelling his shadow clones. Then, Sasuke and Sakura appeared and realized that the four opponents had retreated. "They were too scared of you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura beamed at the Uchiha.

"Hn," Sasuke said before walking away from her. He approached Naruto and fixed him in a glare. "Why can't I copy any of your jutsu or moves with my Sharingan? It has the ability to copy taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu to a certain level when it reaches its second stage. Answer me, dobe!"

"Why should I, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto laughed. "You shouldn't have been trying to copy my jutsu, anyway. This is what you get for trying to steal my hard-work. _Idiot!_" Sasuke gave a roar and threw a punch at Naruto, who easily side-stepped and tripped Sasuke. The Uchiha fell to the floor but Naruto grabbed his arm and pulled it hard, causing Sasuke to gave a cry of pain. "Don't try to hit me because things aren't going your way," Naruto said, his eyes serious. "I told you before that I don't care if you're an Uchiha Elite or not."

"Naruto, let him go," Yamato said as he appeared onto the rooftop. "You've made your point and this mission will be of no use if Sasuke loses his arm." The Uzumaki let his arm go before leaving with Yamato. "Oh my gosh," Sakura said, sitting next to Sasuke. "Are you alright, Sasuke-kun?"

"SHUT UP," Sasuke yelled, silencing her. _This isn't possible, _he thought. _When did the day come that I was so outclassed by Naruto? Even with my Sharingan, I couldn't react to his movements... _He got up, eyes clouded by his hair and dropped from the roof, leaving a hurt Sakura there. _Why doesn't he notice me? _Sakura thought. _I care for him so much yet he never notices me..._

"No need to fear," Yamato said to Taruho. "My name is Yamato and I'm currently leading Team 7 from Konoha." Shion gasped as he said that, causing them to look at her. "What is it, Shion-sama?" Taruho asked.

"It's happening," Shion muttered. "_He's _trying to resurrect himself again." Her eyes dropped and Taruho carried her inside the shrine, allowing her to rest. Yamato gathered Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura and went inside to freshen up while Shion got some rest.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Behold, Shion, the priestess of the Land of Demons," Taruho said. "She has the power to expel demons and seal them up with her mystical powers. Shion-sama, these are ninja from Konohagakure." He turned to them and they began to introduce themselves.

"Hello, Shion-sama, my name is Yamato," Yamato said. "You already knew that so I'll let my team introduce themselves." Shion nodded and looked at the three, while Yamato hoped that they would introduce themselves respectfully.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto said, introducing himself casually.

"My name's Sakura Haruno," Sakura said, looking at Shion with respect.

"My name's Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke said, still brooding. Shion looked at him with interest, gave a light blush, before looking away. Sakura exhaled loudly and a murderous expression entered her face but she restrained herself. _How dare she do that?! _the pink-haired girl thought. _Sasuke-kun's mine and mine only! _The Uchiha groaned silently as he saw Shion and Sakura's expressions. _Great, _he thought. _Another fangirl joined the club although she looks pretty strong. I could get her to repopulate my clan..._

"Shion-sama," Yamato said. "We've come to escort you to the Sealing Shrine. A lot of lives were lost since the Ghost Army is marching onwards, destroying everyone in their path. Currently, some of our strongest ninja are trying to slow it down."

"Just as Shion-sama foretold," Taruho said. "Her premonitions are something else..."

"Naturally," Shion said, her tone catching Naruto's attention. "But as you can see, I still breathe. I'm sure they showed them no regret." Sasuke and Sakura were a little taken aback by her attitude although Sasuke liked it. _Well, she doesn't seem to be scared or emotional, _he thought. Naruto clenched his teeth as he thought about the destruction he had seen on their way to Shion's dojo. _She doesn't care?! _the Uzumaki thought.

"How dare you!" Naruto yelled, standing up. "They sacrificed their lives for you. You should show a little respect." Yamato grabbed him in a head-lock and pushed onto the ground. "Quit it," he said. "We need to escort her and not give her threats. I understand how you feel, Naruto, but your last mission's client wasn't the best either." Naruto nodded, standing up. Tazuna had been rude, as well, but he at least cared for the people of the Land of Waves. Unlike this little-

"You're going to die very soon," Shion muttered, catching Naruto's attention. The blonde glared at her before putting his ear towards her.

"I couldn't hear you," Naruto said. "What'd you say? What was that?"

"I said," Shion spoke, her voice louder, "that you're going to die. You'll be stabbed through the chest and killed soon." Everybody there was shocked that she would say such a thing. Naruto barely restrained himself from grabbing her collar and knocking some sense into that thick, spoiled brain. _She's like a female Sasuke, _he thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm sorry," Taruho said, bowing his head. "I hope you can forgive her. Shion-sama often sees visions of people dying." Sasuke and Sakura looked confused while Yamato looked interested. Naruto just looked pissed and wondered, _Geez, she's so weird! _"I bet she's wrong everytime," the blonde said, his eyes closed.

"Oh, no," Taruho said. "She's right every time; Shion-sama's visions have always been a hundred percent accurate."

"WHAT?!" they exclaimed. _She predicted that Naruto was going to die, _was the thought that ran through Team 7's mind while Naruto screamed out, "How am I going to die? I've still got a long way to go before becoming Hokage. This vision stuff is a bunch of crap." They all nodded while Taruho held his expression since he knew that Shion was never wrong.

Meanwhile, several explosion tags ignited and large boulders fell on top of the Ghost Army. The chunin and jonin appeared out of the cliff, looking at the situation. _As I thought, _Kakashi thought. _The only person that can stop these soldiers is the priestess of the Land of Demons, Shion. Naruto, I hope you succeed on this mission. _He returned his attention back to the situation at hand and began to go through some possible strategies with a fellow Nara chunin.

"Ugh, I can't believe this," Yamato said as he entered their quarters. "Taruho insists that he take some of these guys with them. They don't even look like warriors so I don't know if it matters or not."

"We're wasting time here," Sasuke said. "We should already be on the move with her. The Ghost Army isn't going to stop marching!" Sakura had hearts in her eyes as Sasuke spoke while Yamato raised an eyebrow. _This Uchiha kid's a cranky one, _he thought. _But he understands the intensity of the mission. _They were interrupted when Shion entered the room, looking at them squarely. She blushed at Sasuke, who merely looked at her, before looking neutrally at the fuming Sakura. The priestess' eyebrows rose at Naruto's glare and thought, _He's so stupid. Is he still upset that I don't care about those fools that tried to protect me? _"I'm ready now, shinobi," Shion said, before walking out of the door.

Team 7 and Shion went outside, meeting a waterfall. "Why are we going to a waterfall?" Sakura asked, stupidly, causing Sasuke to sigh.

"Because, Sakura," Sasuke said. "Maybe there's a secret path behind it?" Sakura made an 'O' with her mouth before blushing at Sasuke heavily. The Uchiha groaned and moved up ahead, walking next to Shion and Naruto. He glared at the blonde, who simply smirked and focused his eyes on the road ahead. _Dobe, _Sasuke growled silently. His thoughts shifted to the fight and how he hadn't been able to copy Naruto's moves with his Sharingan/_  
_

Once they had entered through the waterfall, they faced the large expanse of the forest. "Whose going to carry her?" Sakura asked. "I can't do it since I'm slow enough as it is."

"I'm too lazy," Yamato said, causing everyone to sweat-drop. "Hey, Naruto, why don't you-"

"No way," Naruto said. He turned and dashed onto a branch, before dashing into the forest. Yamato sighed at the Uzumaki's childishness. "Alright, Sasuke," he said. "Looks like you're carrying her." Shion looked towards Sasuke, who simply nodded and offered his back to Shion. The little priestess easily climbed his back, setting out a breath of relief. Sasuke's body felt warm and comforting. They all took off into the forest, catching up to Naruto.

They had been running for a long time when Naruto saw an arrow come from the side. He quickly dodged the side and landed on the floor, assuming the Toad Style. "Who's there?" he asked. The others stopped behind him, also looking wary. Then, Taruho appeared out of the forest and Naruto relaxed. "Oh, it's you," the blonde said, assuming his regular position. "Taruho!"

"What're you doing here?" Shion yelled. "Go back to the village, now!"

"I refuse," Taruho said. "My duty is to protect you and I won't let you out of my sight so easily."

"You dare disobey me," Shion yelled, her voice rising. "GO BACK TO THE VILLAGE."

"I refuse," Taruho repeated. "You could say it a million times and I won't go back." Eventually, Shion relented and the six of them were on their way again until night fell.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright," Yamato said, halting. "We're going to set up camp here. We can't light up a bonfire otherwise it will alert enemies to here." He took off his backpack and relaxed onto the ground.

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed. "But I thought we were hard-pressed for time."

"Have you taken a look at them, dobe?" Sasuke said, pointing to Taruho and Shion. "We can keep going for a long time but they're at their limit." Naruto shook his head and pointed to another person. They turned to see that Sakura was sprawled out onto the floor, snoring away. "Well, that's not a surprise," Sasuke said, walking away. Naruto groaned and took out his scroll, summoning his backpack. He took out a rice-ball and began to eat when he heard a bowl being thrown to the floor.

"I'm not gonna eat this," Shion said. "The soup's cold and these riceballs are too dry. Forget this; I'm going to sleep." She got up and pointed to her bag, causing Taruho to abandon the food and begin making her bed. _Good lord, help me, _Naruto thought. _This girl's way too picky! _Sasuke, who had been spoiled himself, found Shion a bit annoying but could understand her problem.

After Shion was fast asleep, Yamato, Sasuke, and Sakura took turns to guard her while Naruto and Taruho struck up a conversation together. "Here, have this," Naruto said, offering Taruho a riceball. "Tomorrow's gonna be a long day and you need to get your strength back."

"Thank you, Naruto-kun," Taruho said. "It is very kind of you." He took the riceball and began to eat it slowly, chewing the rice delicately. Naruto grinned and took a seat next to Taruho.

"About these premonitions," Naruto started. "Isn't there any way to prevent them if you know about them?"

"Nope," Taruho said. "Death cannot be cheated. Even if you decide to do something about it, you will die in the same way except sometime later. Shion-sama's visions are so scary that villagers of the Land of Demons have begun to fear her, going out of their way to avoid her. I can't say if her foresight is always correct; I think it also depends on who they're about."

Naruto thought about how he was treated by the villagers when he would approach; they would hurt him or leave him, letting him feel isolated. _If it hadn't been for these guys, _the blonde thought. _I would have lost my mind. _He thought about Iruka, the Ichiraku family, Sarutobi, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Sasuke, Yamato, and even Sakura. They had all acknowledged him, if even a little such as in Sakura's case. Naruto couldn't imagine how it would have been for Shion if she had a similar past to Naruto without having any friends.

"What about you, Taruho?" Naruto asked. "What would you do if she had a vision about you?"

"My family is heavily indebted to Shion-sama's mother," Taruho explained. "If I could repay her kindness by safeguarding her daughter's life, then I would gladly give up my own." Dawn arrived and the sun shone on their faces. Naruto got up and said, "Well, it's time to head back. We'd better get a move-on."

"Taruho," Shion interrupted. "You need to head back; this is for your own good." Naruto clenched his teeth and almost yelled at the girl for being such a brat. Couldn't she see how much Taruho worked to be recognized by Shion?! "Hey, wait just a minute," the blonde yelled, pointing his finger at her. "Taruho's trying to protect you here yet you-"

"You've another vision, haven't you?" Taruho said calmly, silencing Naruto. "What did you see, Shion-sama? You can trust me, you know." The priestess' eyes were clouded by her hair but Naruto could see emotion in her eyes. _So she does care, _Naruto thought.

"It doesn't matter, Taruho," Shion said. "If you don't turn back now, Taruho, you're going to die." She trailed off but Taruho simply nodded, going back to the camp to gather his things. Sometime after Taruho left, Team 7 had also finished packing up and they left with Sasuke carrying Shion again. While the raven didn't mind, he would have prefered for Naruto or Yamato to carry her instead of him. However, the stoic Uzumaki had already gone to the front, talking with Yamato about something.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yamato-taicho, what affinities do you have?" Naruto asked. "I have a wind affinity and I know a few water jutsu as well. I know one fire technique but I don't know any earth or lightning jutsu yet."

"Interesting," Yamato said. "Well, Naruto, I have earth and water affinities; if you want, I can teach you some of them once this mission's done. Did you know that I also have a Kekkei Genkai known as the Wood Style." He laughed as Naruto's face fell. Everybody reacted the same when he told them that.

"A-Amazing, Yamato-taicho," Naruto said. "The Wood Style's one of the strongest, if not the strongest, elemental bloodline limits. You combine earth and water to make wood, correct?" The man nodded, a little surprised at the blonde's knowledge of his elemental Kekkei Genkai. Not many genin knew about it; _I see Jiraiya-sama is boosting his knowledge as well, _Yamato thought. They came onto a steep mountain-side and Shion began to freak out.

"LET ME GO," she roared. "I'M GOING TO DIE HERE; LET ME GO, YOU FOOL!" Sasuke's eyebrow ticked and he dropped Shion, sending her to the ground. The priestess looked annoyed and she stood up to say, "You're supposed to protect me, not kill me. That was so dangerous! There has to be some other way to get to the Shrine Seal."

"Yamato," Sasuke said, causing the captain to get annoyed at Sasuke's lack of respect. "Maybe we should take the other way since I don't want her to start screaming and falling off."

"I'm afraid not," Yamato said. "This is the fastest way to get to the Shrine Seal and the other way would take several days. Please, Shion-sama, bear with this for a moment and it'll be over in no time!" As he said that, a large water dragon shot towards them from the other side of the valley. "EVERYONE," Yamato roared, his cheerful tone gone. "GET TO HIGHER GROUND, COME ON!" Sasuke groaned and grabbed Shion, carrying her bridal style, which caused Sakura to go red. Naruto just sighed at the stupidity of the pink-haired banshee.

They eventually got to their higher ground and the boys protected Shion, covering her sides. Yamato stood in front of her, looking around. _I can see two of them at the bridge over there, _the captain thought. _So she can use water jutsu as well? Fire and water... _"I'm going over," Sasuke yelled, causing them to look at him. "They're the ones controlling the dragon so if we get rid of them, then we'e got him." He had already activated his Sharingan and rushed away, eager to finish his previous battle.

"Naruto," Yamato said. "Go after him and make sure he doesn't break any limbs. The idiot!" The blonde nodded and rushed off, cursing the Uchiha mentally. _How stupid of the teme, _he thought. _He should have waited for some orders. And people call me the baka... _However, Shion was impressed by Sasuke's courage, wondering how strong he must have been if he believed he could pull it off. As usual, Sakura was completely lovestruck and was busy daydreaming about Sasuke taking her and...

Yamato sighed. _Great team I've got, _he thought. _There's a violent Uchiha and a useless fangirl. Naruto's the only person who isn't driving me mad! _He got ready to defend Shion since he knew that Sakura would be absolutely no match for Kusuna and Setsuna since they were completely out of her league. Only a jonin could handle them! _I might have to use Wood Style, _Yamato thought.

"Gitai, the Uchiha kid's yours," Shizuku said. "The shadow clone kid's mine."

"Alright," Gitai said, looking forward to fighting Sasuke. "But be careful, that kid's got ninjutsu that's better than all four of ours. His taijutsu's off the chart as well and even with your powerup, it might be-"

"Aw, shut it," Shizuku said. "Just go and take care of the Uchiha, will you? With this powerup, that shadow clone kid's as good as dead." Gitai looked at her for a moment before charging towards Sasuke. The Uchiha's eyes caught him and dodged his first blow before they both disappeared from sight, taking their battle to the side. Naruto roared before jumping at Shizuku, pushing chakra into his hand. He missed Shizuku but completely destroyed the ground, causing Shizuku to stammer in surprise. _I-Incredible, _she thought. _He already has the chakra control for medical ninjutsu as this age?! _She lost her focus so the water dragon lost its shape and fell to the ground, just normal water.

"You're quite skilled, brat," Shizuku laughed. "But I've gotten stronger since last time. **Water Style: Rising Water Slicer.**" A droplet of water fell to the ground before Shizuku slammed her foot into the ground. Immediately, a large slicing wave of water charged towards Naruto, who jumped into the water and dodged the attack. "It didn't work," Naruto smirked. "Try again." He launched himself in the woods with Shizuku close behind him, releasing waves of water at him, which cut through all of the branches and rocks.

"Where are you going, kid?" she laughed. "Do you really think these trees and rocks can save you?" To prove her point, Shizuku released a large wave of water and it cut an entire tree down, which knocked down several other trees. _Shit, _Naruto thought. _She's definitely stronger than last time! What's going on?! _He went through some hand-seals and yelled, "**Wind Release Stream.**" He blew into the air, causing him to move in the other direction. Doing so saved him from the series of falling trees.

"Take this," Naruto said, turning to Shizuku. "**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.**" He summoned a large battalion of Clone Narutos and they all gave a roar before shooting towards Shizuku. "What're you gonna do, now?" Clone Naruto yelled out. The other shadow clones roared in agreement. They were quite close to Shizuku, when the latter made a Tiger hand-seal.

"This," Shizuku said, smiling. "**Wind Style: Water Dragon Whip.**" A large orb of water formed before whips of water shot out, destroying the shadow clones instantly. In a few moments, the entire horde of shadow clones were destroyed and Naruto stood before Shizuku. "Shit," Naruto cursed. "Looks like you got me, eh?" Shizuku just laughed before lunging at Naruto, aiming to kill. Then, she sliced through the blonde, who disappeared in smoke. _Another shadow clone? _Shizuku turned but she was too late.

"**Water Style: Gunshot,**" Naruto yelled, before releasing a ball of water. It shot towards Shizuku so quickly that she couldn't react and was flung back fifty feet before crashing into a tree. "You're a joke," the blonde goaded. "I don't even have an affinity for water yet my attacks are stronger than yours." Shizuku screamed and launched herself at Naruto, but the Uzumaki had been expecting that. He crouched at the last moment and charged head-first towards Shizuku's legs, tripping her but before she could hit her head against the ground hard a log appeared in her place.

_Thank god, _Shizuku thought. _I barely got away there! _He was surprised how Naruto was overpowering him despite his powerup. "Allow me to introduce you to my breath attack," she yelled out, causing Naruto look in her direction. Shizuku jumped in mid-air, finished with her hand-signs, and yelled out, "**Water Style: Large Projectile.**" She shot an immense jet of water at Naruto, who quickly dashed away. The ground where he was standing was completely pulverized and water rushed into the cracks in the ground.

"Man, that was a good technique," Naruto said, standing up. He dashed up to a branch, before yelling, "**Shadow Clone Jutsu.**" Beside him, seven Clone Narutos formed and they charged at Shizuku. She dodged Clone Naruto 1 and kicked Clone Naruto 2 in the gut, dispelling it. "Heads-up," Clone Naruto 4 yelled and made a Bird seal. "**Wind Style: Air Bullets.**" A few air bullets shot towards Shizuku but she rolled away, dodging the attacks. They destroyed the ground, causing the orange-haired villain to release a sigh of relief.

"We're not done yet," Clone Naruto 5 warned. "Guys, hold him down. **Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullet.**" He released a large blast of wind at Shizuku, who was currently getting assaulted by all of the other clones. She quickly sliced through them with a kunai and dodged before getting hit although the impact of attack sent her sprawling away. "Alright," Shizuku said, standing up slowly. "Now where's the-"

"Here," Naruto said, charging at her. "**Rasengan.**" He formed the sphere in his hand and slammed it into Shizuku's chest, causing him to gasp out in pain. While it was far from finished, the attack sent Shizuku flying away and crashing through a multitude of trees. _Amazing, _Naruto thought. _I haven't completed the third step yet but even that incomplete Rasengan did that?!_

"W-What j-jutsu w-was t-that?" Shizuku managed out, wheezing in pain. She had never been hurt so badly in her life and the blonde's rotating blue sphere had looked so small and weak. _I shouldn't have underestimated him, _the orange-haired girl thought. Naruto appeared beside her and put his hand on her stomach, causing a seal to flash off. Then, Shizuku began to scream as she was cocooned in a large white bean. A moment later, Naruto had won his fight since she was completely sealed. _Aw, I didn't get to use my fire and oil combo, _the blonde thought._  
_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you my opponent?" Sasuke asked, his Sharingan flaring. "Well, it's your unlucky day since I'm an Uchiha Elite. You can't stand up to me." He assumed the Uchiha Style and glared at Gitai, whose sickly red eyes looked at him. Then, Gitai charged towards Sasuke and threw a blinding punch towards the Uchiha. Sasuke's Sharingan easily caught the movement and Sasuke leaned back, dodging the punch entirely. _The Sharingan, eh? _Gitai thought. _This kid's going to be annoying if he's anything like an Uchiha._

Sasuke quickly kicked at Gitai, sending him crashing to the rocks. _This guy's so heavy, _the Uchiha realized. If he hadn't pushed chakra to his feet, then Gitai wouldn't have moved an inch. Sasuke was back on his feet and dashed towards Gitai, trying to use his speed to confuse him. _The bigger they are, the slower, _Sasuke thought, thinking that Gitai was slow. Then, as Sasuke's eyes caught Gitai's move, he skidded to a halt and barely avoided getting run through by a spear. He quickly backed away, trying to come up with a plan.

"You're a joke," Gitai laughed. "And you call yourself an Uchiha; I've heard that the Uchiha clan only has one survivor now in Konoha. And it seems he's the weakest of them all. What a pathetic clan!" Sasuke gave a maddening roar before he charged at Gitai, pumping a large amount of chakra onto his feet. He quickly dodged Gitai's strikes, his Sharingan showing him the movements in slow-motion. _These eyes can see everything, _he thought. Then, Sasuke turned and delivered a sharp kick to Gitai's face.

Gitai gave a little yelp before he was slammed into the rock. "That's what you get for underestimating the Uchiha," Sasuke grinned. "Next time you should-" He stopped when Gitai began to chuckle, his eyes widening as a spike came out of Gitai's body. He dodged the next attacks due to his Sharingan although Gitai's fist caught him in the face, sending him flying through the air. _How strong is this guy? _Sasuke thought, regaining his footing. _And so durable! Yet his reflexes are pretty good too. _He decided to test Gitai on ninjutsu, which he had quite a lot of by now.

"**Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu,**" Sasuke yelled and expelled several fireballs at Gitai. To his surprise, the burly man didn't try to block them and let the fireballs hit him. Sasuke was even more surprised to see that his fireballs hadn't hurt or pierced Gitai's body in the least. _Looks like I'll need to use the big guns, _the Uchiha thought and did the most familiar jutsu to him. "**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.**" He released a large fireball at Gitai, who didn't move.

_YES, THIS IS MY CHANCE, _Sasuke thought and did the jutsu he had copied this morning. "**Wind Style: Godly Wind from the Mountains,**" the Uchiha said as he finished the Tiger-Snake-Ram sequence. He blasted the vortex of wind and it crashed into his fireball, completely frying Gitai. The man let loose a scream of pain and finally moved, his armour burning to the ground. "How was that, fatty?" Sasuke asked, smiling as he saw the look of rage on Gitai's face.

"You damn brat," he thundered. Then, Gitai charged at Sasuke with blinding speed and landed two consecutive blows to his stomach and back. Sasuke barely dodged his next blow but couldn't react fast enough to stop Gitai punching him in the face. "You copied those jutsu with your Sharingan, didn't you?" Gitai laughed. "I should have known that you Uchiha just tend to copy hard work off other people."

"SHUT UP," Sasuke yelled and charged at Gitai. He dodged the man's elbow and delivered a sharp uppercut to him, breaking through his face armour. He pushed chakra into his fist and slammed it into Gitai's chest, sending him tumbling back. "How's that?" Sasuke asked. "Your armour's gone; what're you going to do now?" Gitai didn't answer but held us his arm, from which a large worm bust out. He grabbed the worm and ate it, swallowing the purple fluid from it. _Aw, so sick, _Sasuke thought, stepping backwards.

Gitai roared and underwent a grotesque transformaton; his arms multiplied and his skin got darker, sprouting multiple heads. "Are you impressed, little Uchiha?" Gitai laughed. "This is true power that Mouryou offers. I can feel power coursing through my veins." Sasuke was repulsed beyond belief and tried not to throw up at the transformed man._  
_

"This power of yours is gross," Sasuke said. "Besides, it's temporary and you can't keep it up, can you?" He dashed towards Gitai and before he could react, Sasuke slammed his knee into Gitai's gut. Then, Sasuke's eyes widened in horror as Gitai began to laugh before flinging the Uchiha away. "Is that all you've got, Uchiha?" Gitai asked. "I came for a real battle." He crashed his arms into the ground and sent shockwaves of fire at Sasuke, who went flying away and sported numerous burns.

_Shit, _Sasuke thought, standing up slowly. "What's wrong, Uchiha?" Gitai laughed. "Having a little trouble?" He released another torrent of flames through the ground at Sasuke, but the Uchiha was quickly on his feet and was able to dodge most of them or outrun them. _I'm running out of chakra, _Sasuke thought. _I spent it by enhancing my taijutsu. _"Have a taste of your own medicine," Sasuke yelled, making a Snake sign. "**Earth Style: Earth Corridor.**"

Gitai was immediately covered in earth and Sasuke immediately appeared at the exit, surrounding it in explosive tags. As expected, the creature sent shockwaves through the ground and when they reached the explosive tags, the entire structure of earth blew up in flames. _Looks like it worked, _Sasuke thought, smiling. "I'm not done with you, yet," Gitai yelled and he appeared out of the flames. He had lost his armour and his arms were burned to a crisp.

"How're you going to catch me with that?" Sasuke laughed. He turned and moved away, only to find himself collapsing to his knees. _Oh no, _he thought. _I'm completely out of chakra now. _Gitai laughed out and charged towards Sasuke, his tentacles slicing through the boy. "You're the one who's finished, Uchiha," Gitai laughed. Then, Sasuke disappeared in a cloud of smoke. _WHAT?! _Gitai thought. _That was just a shadow clone!_

"LOOK BEHIND YOU, DUMBASS," Sasuke yelled, causing Gitai to turn around. The Uchiha appeared out of thin air and smashed his feet into Gitai's chin, propelling him through the air. He followed up with another two kicks before punch the man in the face, causing him to go plummeting down the mountainside. "NOOOOO," Gitai yelled as he fell down the mountain. Sasuke fell to the ground and stayed still, panting heavily. Then, his Sharingan eyes disappeared and he hit the ground.

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"Hello there," Setsuna said. He threw several shuriken at Yamato but he simply batted them aside with a kunai. Sakura and Shion were already on their way but Kusuna and Setsuna were trying their hardest to get rid of Yamato. "You can't defeat me," Yamato said, smiling at them. "I'm a jonin and can use the Wood Style." Their faces dropped and Yamato used that to his advantage, making the Snake seal.

"**Wood Style: Nativity of a Sea of Trees,**" Yamato yelled and the trees around them began to change. They immediately moved and began to cover Kusuna and Setsuna, stripping them of their weapons. Setsuna gave an indignant yell and hit the trees with his shuriken but they bounced off; a snake erupted from Kusuna's head and bit at the branches, causing them to wither and die. _Interesting, _Yamato thought. _I've never heard of such a technique!_

"You shouldn't take your eyes off your opponent, jonin-san," Setsuna said, releasing a barrage of kunai and shuriken. "I'm quite surprised that you can use the Wood Style. Are you related to the Shodaime Hokage? That would mean that you're Tsunade of the Sannin's relative?"

"No and no," Yamato said, going through a unique Bird-Hare-Serpent sequence. "**Wood Style: World of Trees Wall.**" He moved to a branch and watched as a large wall of branches made a net-like wall, which Kusuna and Setsuna crashed into. "This sucks," Setsuna grumbled before his shuriken glowed with wind chakra. "**Wind Style: Rotating Shuriken.**"

Yamato's branches were destroyed by Setsuna's wind-enhanced shuriken only to find the Wood-Style user there, ready. "It's over," Yamato yelled, holding out his hand. "**Wood Style: Great Forest Jutsu.**" His arm transformed to wood and it shot off towards Kusuna, catching the two of them by surprise. Kusuna was stabbed but he broke down into strings and pieces. "We also have clones," was the last thing the puppet said.

"You're not getting away," Setsuna declared, intercepting Yamato's path. The Wood-Style user gave a groan before moving to tackle him so he could save Sakura; she didn't stand a chance against Kusuna and if he didn't get there, there would be a lot of problems. He made a Snake seal and yelled out, "**Wood Clone Jutsu.**" Another Yamato appeared and he intercepted Setsuna's punch, allowing the original to follow Kusuna.

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_I'm almost there, _Naruto thought, grunting as Sasuke's weight slowed him down. He had found the Uchiha knocked out next to the side of the mountain and he took him, heading into the woods to find the others. He smiled as he saw them, standing still. However, his grin was immediately replaced by a frown when he noticed a body lying next to them. "Hey, guys," he yelled, causing them to look at them. "Did you finish your battles?" His frown deepened when they didn't respond and Naruto's eyes fell on the dead body.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Naruto shouted. "This can't be Shion, right? Oh my god, we failed in our mission." He was about to continue yelling but a voice caught his attention. He turned and came face-to-face with Shion, who simply shook her head.

"Of course I'm not dead," Shion said. "That's Taruho." Naruto's eyes widened and he looked at the body, feeling sad for the man.

"W-What happened?" Naruto asked. "The entire story, I mean."

Sakura told them about how she and Shion had seen Taruho use his special jutsu to transform into Taruho and Shion escaped. Then, Sakura had continued with Taruho until the enemy caught up with them and poisoned her, killing Taruho in the process. Then, Kusuna had left and Yamato arrived at the scene before Sakura told him what had occurred there. Shion came back to them, soon afterwards. "Why, Yamato-taicho?" Naruto turned to the Wood-Style user. "Why didn't you tell him to go home?"

"I didn't want to insult him, Naruto," Yamato said. "You of all people should know how much Shion's safety meant to Taruho, especially when her life is in constant danger? Can you imagine how he must have felt to have to wait, knowing that there was only the four of us to protect Shion? Try to understand, Naruto."

"I get it," Naruto said, closing his eyes. He was the same way; if he wanted to protect Shion and I was expected to just sit back, there was no way I wouldn't try my hardest to protect her even if _the entire shinobi world _ordered me to back off. _That's my nindo, _Naruto thought. _My ninja way! _

"He was such a fool," Shion said, causing them to look at her. "He should have known better than to try and be so-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP," Naruto roared. "TARUHO GAVE HIS LIFE FOR YOU AND YOU'RE NOT EVEN SHEDDING A TEAR. HOW COULD YOU-"

"LEAVE ME ALONE," Shion yelled back. She turned and ran into the forest but Naruto wasn't through with her; he followed her into the forest. "That baka," Sakura said, moving to follow but Yamato held up his hand. He shook his head and Sakura immediately backed away.

"Come back here, Shion!" Naruto yelled. "You need to tell me right now! Don't you feel the least bit sad that Taruho died _for you_?" Shion stopped and placed her palms on a tree, sobbing. Naruto raised an eyebrow and thought, _So she does care, eh?_

"I do," Shion said. "I'm heart-broken; so many have given their lives due to my foresight. I can't repay them in any way unless I continue to be strong and not cry. The priestess' foresight usually warns to show that the priestess' life is in danger and people give up their life so I can live, so Mouryou can be sealed away and can't destroy the world."

"And you're okay with this?" Naruto asked, hoping she would decline him. To his disappointment, Shion didn't say anything and simply sat there, tears streaming down her cheeks. Naruto shook his head and walked away, leaving the priestess there.

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"My lord," Kusuna bowed. "The priestess has been killed and the only threat in your plain is gone. We also have adequate knowledge of the Konoha ninja's team so we can easily destroy them if you give us permission." Setsuna nodded but Yomi just looked them, his eyes uninterested.

"Idiots," he said, surprising them. "Shion is still alive! The one you killed was quite presumably an imposter. You were too hasty, Setsuna, Kusuna."

"WHAT?!" Setsuna burst out. "Impossible, how could they have enough time to set up a imposter. And the boys took down Shizuku and Gitai, as well."

"The boys?" Yomi straightened. "Tell me about their abilities; I'm quite interested in their skills."

"Their team consists of a captain, an Uchiha kid, a blonde kid, and a pink-haired girl," Kusuna said. "The pink-haired girl is absolutely useless and only knows how to throw a kunai with approximate accuracy. She's really useless and has no special skills whatsoever. The captain is very strong and is able to utilize the Wood Style Kekkei Genkai."

"Really?" Yomi's eyes light up. "They say that the Wood Style and the Sharingan originate from the Rikudou Sennin's dojutsu, Rinnegan. With it, the Sage was able to subjugate Juubi-sama and become its jinchuuriki. This captain is very powerful if he wields the Wood Style; you two might not be able to handle him although I doubt he's mastered it. Kusuna, you might have a chance if you try your best. Tell me about the Uchiha and the blonde."

"The Uchiha," Kusuna began. "He is quite adept in taijutsu and ninjutsu, knowing the famous Uchiha Style taijutsu. He has an affinity for fire jutsu and used his Sharingan to copy all of our techniques when we were fighting the blonde brat. He copied our earth, wind, and fire combo and seems to have large chakra reserves for his age, although it's nothing compared to the blonde brat."

"Very interesting," Yomi said, smiling. "Do you think his Sharingan is fully mature?"

"Far from it, Yomi-sama," Setsuna said. "He only has two tomoes in his Sharingan and his body often has trouble keeping up with his eyes. His speed is high-genin level but he uses his chakra to augment his speed to low-chunin level."

"I see," Yomi said. "That means that he's not a serious threat. A fully-developed Sharingan would be a little problem and we would have to take him down if he had the Mangekyou Sharingan but he doesn't have either stages. Now, tell me about this blonde ninja?"

"He's very strong," Kusuna said. "He engaged all four of us in a ninjutsu fight and displayed wind jutsu, a few water jutsu, and also barrier ninjutsu. He is also good at fuuinjutsu since he sealed up Shizuku's body and we couldn't break the seal. The blonde's also got _insane _amounts of chakra and can create hundreds of shadow clones."

"Impressive," Yomi said. "For such a young boy to have such a wide repertoire of ninjutsu and to have fuuinjutsu and barrier ninjutsu skills... It's unheard of such a genius to hail from Konoha, since Itachi Uchiha. Even I would have trouble summoning hundreds of shadow clones but the fact he can do it on whim shows just how much chakra he has. Does he have good chakra control?"

"Yes, Yomi-sama," Kusuna said. "On several instances, he pushed chakra onto the soles of his feet to dodge our attacks at high speeds. Truly, the kid's as strong as hell and if I had to rank him, I would say he's high-chunin level at the best. Yomi-sama, he and the captain are our concerns right now."

"Alright," Yomi said. "According to what you told me, the Uchiha's unconscious right now and the pink-haired girl isn't even worth our concern. There's two of you so Kusuna, go after the captain while Setsuna, go after the blonde. Head out, now!" They disappeared with the Body Flicker Jutsu, while Yomi looked ahead, the spirit of Mouryou chuckling inside his body.

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Sasuke's eyes opened and he sat up, looking around. He saw Sakura's overjoyed face, Yamato's relieved face, Shion's neutral face, while Naruto just seemed like he didn't care. "What happened?" the Uchiha asked. "The last thing I remember was taking down the fatso. How long have I been out?" Shame filled Sasuke's face as he thought about how he had passed out due to chakra exhaustion after taking down the enemy while Naruto must have stayed fresh. He cursed the Uzumaki's never-ending stamina.

"Taruho, Shion's guardian, transformed into Shion to confuse the enemy," Yamato explained. "By doing so, the enemy took his life although Shion is still fine. It's very sad to us since we have to bid goodbye to a noble soul." Sasuke blinked before scoffing, standing up and stretching. Sakura had hearts in her eyes and wanted to hug the Uchiha, although he just grunted to her before leaving. Naruto so wanted to break Sasuke's face, which wouldn't be hard at all, for not giving a damn care in the world about Taruho's sacrifice.

"Naruto," Yamato's warning voice came. "Let it go, now's not the time. Besides, I have a very essential task for you and only you can do it." Naruto's eyebrow rose and he leaned forward expectantly. Sasuke and Sakura's eyebrow ticked and the Uchiha dumbly said, "Yamato, why are you giving the dobe a task? I'm the strongest so I should get it."

"On the contrary, Sasuke," Yamato said, glaring at the Uchiha, "Naruto here is much more responsible and stronger than you. He was able to combat all four of them and was still able to continue fighting, defeating one of them in combat. You, on the other hand, spent your time copying the enemy's jutsu with your Sharingan and you passed out after taking down your opponent. In other words, you were nothing more but a burden."

"WHAT?!" Sasuke yelled, enraged. "Listen here, I'm an Uchiha Elite; the son of Fugaku Uchiha, the former clan leader. I'm stronger than the dobe and he only wins by cheating of some sort. I've figured it all out. He doesn't defeat his enemy, he confuses them and then takes them down somehow." Sakura looked unsure at the explanation while Yamato and Naruto's jaws dropped at the lamest excuse ever.

"Are you so jealous that you can't think of anything, teme?" Naruto smirked. "It's okay; not many have worked to reach this level of power. Besides, your excuses suck even more than your skills as a ninja." Sasuke roared and charged at the Uzumaki, but Naruto simply disappeared in a swirl of leaves before re-appearing on a branch. He sighed and said, "Yamato-taicho, what's my task?"

"Your job," Yamato said, "is to take Shion to the Shrine Seal, which is very close to hear. You'll know where it is since it's just a run-down house but it actually leads to an underground cavern. Be careful and I wish you luck." Sasuke however wasn't done so he was actually backed up and was about to do a jutsu before Naruto yelled, "Sasuke, instead of wasting time on me you should think about the guys after Shion. Idiot!"

Naruto disappeared and materialized next to Shion, letting her climb his back. _He smells nice, _she thought. Shion blushed as he coiled her arms around Naruto's neck, placing them on his broad shoulders. She couldn't deny that Naruto was quite hot and his body was well-toned due to his rigorous training under gravity seals. "Come on, let's go," Naruto said. He turned and ran off, disappearing in a blur.

Sasuke turned to protest to Yamato but discovered that he was already gone. _They can't treat me like this, _he thought. _I'm the only survivor of the Uchiha clan while he's a no-named dead-last. Even if he does have some skills, I SHOULD NOT BE IGNORED. _"Hey, Sasuke-kun," Sakura blushed. "We haven't talked in a while. I was wondering... I mean, you know... we could go on a-"

"No," Sasuke said, turning and walking away. He wanted to choke the useless girl and didn't see her hurt expression; people like Sakura weren't the kind of people he wanted to be noticed by. Maybe if she was some really strong kunoichi... _She'll always be useless, _Sasuke realized. Meanwhile, Yamato was receiving information from the numerous wood clones that he had scattered around the dense forest. Some where covering up Naruto's path while most of them were alerting him to any possible enemy attacks. His attention quickly turned to the howling wind in the sky, which was beginning to take shape.

_So they've made their move, eh? _Sasuke smiled, looking at the clouds. Sakura seemed oblivious but the Uchiha easily figured out that they would resort to a large-scale attack. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and focused it, looking around to find the shinobi of the jutsu. _Another technique I can steal, _the greedy Uchiha thought. A smirk cracked his features and, since Sasuke-kun was happy for some reason, Sakura also began to smile dumbly.

Sasuke's smile deepened when he found Setsuna and copied all of the hand-seals the man was doing. "**Wind Style: Wind Storm,**" Setsuna yelled and a large blizzard formed, crashing towards Sasuke and Yamato. The Uchiha grunted and yelled out, "**Wind Style: Wind Storm.**" Setsuna's eyes widened as two blizzards of equal size slammed into each other, ripping away at each other. Sasuke couldn't use his Sharingan to hypnotise his opponent yet and put it down as the things he had to train for when he got back to the village.

"Nice job, Sasuke," Yamato said, looking impressed. Sasuke grinned, finally pleased with the reactions he got. _This is how it should be, _the raven thought. Yamato, on the other hand, was actually re-thinking about Sasuke and had actually done something useful for the mission. The Sharingan allowed the user to copy any technique that the opponent used, unless it was another Kekkei Genkai, and made it useless.

"Nii-san," Setsuna yelled to Kusuna. "I'm out of chakra; I need a prescription, now!"

"Wait a second," Kusuna shouted back. "I'll be there in an instant." But before he could move, Yamato appeared in front of him and kicked him in the gut, sending him flying backwards. Kusuna regained his footing but Yamato was relentless, pounding away at the pink-haired man. "You're finished," Yamato said, making a Snake seal. "**Wood Style: Smothering Binding Jutsu.**"

Yamato's arm transformed into a tree and thin branches shot out of it, trapping Kusuna badly. "W-What is this?" the pink-haired man yelled out. The branches began to thicken and completely wrapped around Kusuna's arms and legs, while the thin branches coiled around his whole body. "This is your end," Yamato said, calmly. Kusuna looked up to see him on a tree, above him. "**Water Style: Tearing Torrent.**"

Kusuna gave a final roar before he was blasted away by water, which Yamato threw. "NO, NII-SAN," Setsuna yelled. He quickly got up and ran at Yamato but Sasuke stepped in his way, his Sharingan flaring. "Take another step," Sasuke warned, "and you're going to lose your life." Setsuna just laughed and tried to outrun the Uchiha but Sasuke just intercepted him again, before sending him flying back with a kick to the gut.

"Come on," Yamato said. "Let's head back to camp, Sasuke!" The Uchiha nodded and left, turning off his Sharingan. The Wood-Style user sighed and turned to the direction where Naruto had left, _I hope you're successful, Naruto!_


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, so this is the last chapter before the Chunin Exams! I wanted Naruto to have a bit more adventure and show off his new powers so I put in the Land of Demons as well. It was also so that Shion could be in the harem, now. Now, enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 6: **_Conclusion to Mouryou_

"Here is the report from our shinobi, Hokage-sama," the ANBU said, handing the report to Sarutobi. The elderly Hokage took the file and began to read through it, his frown becoming more pronounced.

"This is bad news," Sarutobi said. "The Ghost Army has just vanished out of sight for some reason. Tell our troops to pull back since I have a pretty good idea where they're heading."

"Where?" the ANBU, also known as CAT, asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sarutobi sighed. "They wanted to march the world while Shion was taken to the Land of Swamps. If they've disappeared, that means that Mouryou is after Shion now. Inform Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai about this and they should head to the Shrine Seal as fast as possible! DISMISSED!" CAT disappeared in a swirl of leaves, while Sarutobi brooded with his hands together like Sasuke.

He wondered how the team was coping; Yamato had the Wood Style element and was immensely strong although he didn't have a lot of experience as a captain and it might be counter-productive. But Yamato had been one of his strongest ANBU captains, almost as strong as Kakashi and Gai, and definitely as strong as Asuma. However, there was also Naruto and according to Jiraiya, he was around mid-chunin level unless he was determined. Then, he would be high-chunin level or possibly even low-jonin level. There was also the thing that he had even more chakra than Sarutobi, without even counting the Kyuubi's chakra.

From Kakashi's evaluation, Sasuke was around high-genin level although he was around low-chunin level if motivated enough by either determination or hatred. Besides, he would get a wider jutsu repertoire after this mission since he would, no doubt, copy all of the ninjutsu used with his Sharingan. Sarutobi hoped that the boy didn't feel angry or jealous of Naruto, which Kakashi had mentioned to him, since that would make it easier for him to leave Konoha in search of greater power to defeat his older brother, Itachi.

Due to pressure from the Civilian Council, Sarutobi would have to get Kakashi as Sasuke's teacher for the last phase of the Chunin Exams. After this fiasco with Mouryou, there would be even more daimyos and counsellors at the tournament. Maybe Kakashi would be able to get Sasuke to forget about revenge and think about his friends. Kakashi was the perfect person to do this since he had had the same experience with Obito and Rin, his life, and how he had neglected them to follow the rules until Obito had given his life. By that time, it had been too late.

Apparently, while Sasuke would be taught how to use his Sharingan, Jiraiya also had plans to accelerate Naruto's power to jonin-levels by teaching him more toad jutsu. The Toad Sage wanted to take Naruto to Mount Myoboku and even prepare him to learn senjutsu. _After all of these years, _Sarutobi thought. _I still haven't managed to learn how to use natural energy. _Therefore, the only weak link in the group was Sakura and that wasn't surprising given her mother. He would have Kakashi give the girl some tips on chakra control since she was the best at that. Maybe medical ninjutsu was better for her, going the Tsunade Senju way.

"Team 7, do not fail this mission," Sarutobi said to himself. "People have too many plans for you to fail this!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We're almost there," Naruto said to Shion. "Hold on tight!" She nodded listlessly and Naruto ran through the woods, shortly exiting them. They came upon a little house with a large battleground in front of it, with many rocks. He ran towards the house when the entire ground around them shook, causing the Uzumaki to halt. Then, the rocks all collapsed and the Ghost Army emerged.

"What the hell are these guys doing here?" Naruto yelled, backing away. "I thought Kakashi-sensei was taking care of them with the other guys. Damn them, now I have to take the matter in my own hands." Shion scoffed at Naruto's bragging.

"Just move already," Shion yelled, forcing Naruto to comply. He dodged one of the soldier's strikes before jumping onto his head and slammed a chakra-enhanced fist to its head although he only ended up with aching knuckles. _Man, it's so hard, _Naruto thought. He felt glad that Jiraiya wasn't here otherwise he would start to laugh at his sentence for no reason. How was 'it's so hard' funny?_  
_

As the soldier swiped at him, Naruto went airborne although Shion lost her grip on him. She was sent flying down to the river, causing the blonde to double over and go back for her. What he didn't realize was that he had used chakra on his feet to stand on the air for a moment before using it to propel himself at Shion. _Is this the end? _Shion thought. _Well, then Naruto and my people won't have to give their lives for me and... _She couldn't think anything as Naruto's hands wrapped around her mouth and nose along with her eyes, before they crashed into the water.

A minute later, Naruto came out of the water and set Shion on the ground. "Aw, shit," he cursed, looking paralysed. "I just had to get a cramp now!"

"You shouldn't have saved me," Shion yelled out. "You would have lived, at least until Mouryou destroyed you."

"No way," Naruto yelled. "I'm never going to die." He swung his wet hair, causing to wave wildly around him. Shion blushed as she realized how good-looking Naruto was compared him to Sasuke. Against the Uchiha, Naruto was strong and compassionate while not being very bright and Sasuke needed to get saved by someone most of the time and always seemed serious. _He's too much like me, _Shion realized. _The very opposite of what Naruto is._

"Hey, Shion," Naruto called, gaining her attention. "Come on, I have a plan this time. I'm not going to die and before you say that you are, I guarantee that you won't either." He crouched and allowed the priestess to climb onto his back, wrapping her arms around the Uzumaki's neck. She shuddered and blushed deeply as she felt Naruto's broad shoulders. _Man, he trains a lot! _Shion thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"HEY, YOU GUYS," Naruto yelled to the Ghost Army. They looked at him before marching towards the two. Apparently, they had assembled themselves into lines and looked like a proper army now. Naruto charged towards them before yelling out, "**Multi-S****hadow Clone Jutsu.**" Around him, a horde of shadow clones formed and they all rushed towards the Ghost Army. "Take this," one Clone Naruto yelled out, bringing out his secret jutsu. "**Incomplete Rasengan Barrage!**"

The ranks of clones all brought out their unfinished Rasengan orbs before smashing them into the soldiers, one by one. Due to the power of the jutsu, even when not finished, the Ghost Army started to get destroyed. But Naruto was still surprised at how hard the Ghost Army's armours were as they could still stand after getting hit, although a second hit finished them off.

"Here you are," Naruto set Shion down. "You need to go and seal Mouryou off, now. Restore the Shrine Seal, Shion! It's our only-" He never finished as a soldier's spear stabbed him in the stomach. Shion's eyes widened and she choked, thinking of her vision, when Naruto disappeared in smoke. Then, there was a loud yell before Naruto slammed a Rasengan into the soldier's side, sending it tumbling away. A moment later, the ranks of clones crashed into the soldiers and intercepted them. "GO," Naruto yelled.

"Honestly!" Shion yelled, scowling. "You should make the real you more discernible!"

"Are you kidding me?" Naruto shouted back. "Do I look like I have time for that?" Shion just huffed before turning and running inside, her heart pounding at what she had just seen. _It wasn't him, _Shion thought. _It wasn't him. It wasn't him. It wasn't_- Her thoughts were interrupted as she slipped on the floor, falling down. Shion barely held back tears and hoped that Naruto wouldn't die for her.

Naruto was now using all of his powers to keep the Ghost Army at bay. His clones continued with the Rasengan assault while he dished out jutsu from his arsenal. "**Wind Style: Ultimate Great Breakthrough,**" Naruto yelled out and released a super-powered version of the original technique. It ripped through a line of soldiers, causing them to fall on their side while his shadow clone army destroyed them with their Rasengans.

"This is a new one," Naruto called out, slamming his hands onto the ground. "**Water Style: Stormy Blockade.**" Water drained out of the sky and crashed on top of the soldiers, forcing them to the floor. The original panted as he was now running low on chakra. However, he slowly gained it as his clones were dispelled once they had defeated a soldier each. "Thanks guys," Naruto said to himself. He was about to check up on Shion when there was a tremor. Naruto stared in horror as the battlefield transformed into a legion of soldiers again.

"How many of you guys are there?" Naruto yelled out, but didn't receive any reply. The Ghost Army marched towards him, their glowing green eyes seeming ominous. The blonde was about to dish out another Rasengan Barrage with his clones when there was a yell, "**Lightning Cutter.**" Naruto looked on in surprise as Kakashi easily tore through two soldiers with his Lightning Cutter, showing how strong it was. _Amazing, _Naruto thought. _I would need four Rasengan attacks to destroy those soldiers but Kakashi-sensei did it with just one Lightning Cutter. I need to learn this Rasengan jutsu fast!_

"**Leaf Strong Whirlwind,**" a new voice yelled out. There was a blur of speed before a guy appeared and slammed his leg through a soldier, breaking it with brute strength. The man backed up and Naruto got a good look at him, what he saw surprising him. The man wore a green spandex outfit although had a jonin vest with his hitai-ate around his waist. "Hi," he said, smiling at Naruto. His teeth shun brightly. "My name is Might Gai, the youthful Green Beast of Konoha. So you're the student that Kakashi says is very strong."

"Hello, sir," Naruto said, unable to get the Gai's picture out of his head. He looked stupid and seemed to do nothing but training although his kicks were lethal, as was evidenced. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki," he said. "I've been trained by Ero-Sennin himself and thanks to that pervert, I'm quite strong now."

"Pervert?" Gai asked, confused. "I didn't know that the great Jiraiya-sama was doing such unyouthful things. I must confront him about this when we enter the village and I will challenge him to a taijutsu battle. If I can't defeat him, I will run 300 laps around Konoha non-stop!" His eyes were on fire before he began to rant about how he would surpass Kakashi by defeating Jiraiya in combat. Kakashi sighed before addressing him, "This is Might Gai, as he's already told you. I'm sorry you had to listen to him but he's quite strong and he's not kidding about running 300 laps around Konoha. Don't worry, we'll take it from here and you still need to help Shion with the Shrine Seal since I think Mouryou might already be inside."

"How could you sound so tired and bored, Kakashi?" Gai asked, glaring comically at Kakashi. "We should be proud of dealing with these youthful soldiers. But I'm happy that you have finally realized the power of youth and said 'I'm quite strong'. Should we test that later, Kakashi? What'd you say; a fight between us with no Sharingan or Gates?"

"Hm?" Kakashi turned to Gai, looking cooly at him. "Did you say something?"

"AHHHHH," Gai roared, a fiery background appearing behind him. "THAT HIP AND COOL ATTITUDE OF YOURS!" He continued to rant about Kakashi's unyouthful behaviour and how it attracted all of the girls. Naruto raised an eyebrow at Gai and thought how much similar it was to his and Sasuke's relationship was in the Academy, when he desperately wanted to prove that he was stronger than Sasuke. Now, the Uchiha would try to fight him but he would always Body Flicker out of the place.

"Alright, senseis," Naruto said, turning around. "I'm leaving this up to you!" They nodded and the blonde rushed towards the house, before disappearing from sight. Gai said, "The flames of youth are bright in young Naruto, just like Lee. Let's do this Kakashi!" The copycat ninja nodded and raised his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan. Gai activated the first four Gates before engaging the shoulders.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shion gasped as she looked at the area; it was chunks of land with bubbling lava in between and the priestess was sweating due to the intense temperature. As she looked at the place, Shion realized that this was the place where she had seen Naruto die. "This is it," she whispered to herself. "This is where Naruto will die!" Then, a man's voice rang out all over the place.

"Hello there, Priestess Shion," Yomi, actually Mouryou, laughed. "You look so much like your mother, Miroku. Guards, please welcome her." He was flanked by a few soldiers of the Ghost Army and they marched towards Shion, who gasped before running away only to find that she was surrounded by the guards on all sides. "W-Who a-are you?" Shion asked.

"My name is Yomi," Yomi said. He didn't want to tell Shion that he had taken over the body since that wouldn't be any fun. "Long ago, your mother Miroku stood in the path of my ambition. Do you remember the day when we tried to resurrect Mouryou and the Thousand-Year Kingdom was within our grasp? If only your mother had not been there to ruin it." Shion came to a dead-end, since there was only lava ahead of her and the soldiers were now right behind her.

The stony soldiers raised their swords, ready to slice Shion to tiny bits. "No," the priestess muttered. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" Her outburst triggered a purple beam of chakra from her safety bell, which destroyed the soldiers with ease. Yomi frowned before beginning to laugh as he saw Shion's look of amazement. "Oh, please," he chuckled. "Don't tell me that you didn't know about the power you possess? This is so disappointing; as old as you are now, have you really done nothing during this time?"

"Wrong!" Shion stood up, scowling. "Everyday I've been preparing for this moment. I've mastered the-"

"Shrine Seal," Yomi completed, smirking. "Have you, now? Well, then, I dare you to come here and seal me away as you've practised." He closed his eyes and rested on the bed while Shion made her way over to him. When she was only a few meters away, Yomi sat up again and chuckled. "Did you know something?" he said. "I don't have the power to kill you, right now. And you don't have the power to kill me. That's because you and me were originally one and the same."

"You're lying!" Shion yelled. She couldn't possibly have anything to do with Yomi. "You're just trying to trick me so I won't seal you, right? Well, they won't work-"

"I'm not lying at all," Yomi said. "If I wanted to stop you from sealing me, I could have easily taken you down since I'm much stronger than you. I'm telling you the truth that Miroku hid from you; that your sole purpose of living is to join with me and provide me with the original power that was taken away. Your mother, Miroku, lives inside me since I've absorbed her."

"You're just spouting bullshit," Shion shouted. "I'm going to rid this world of Mouryou again. Hatsu-Jin-Kai-Min-Shin-Gan-Reppyo-Shouzen-Mika-Dan-Raku-Shou-Fu-Sai-Dan-Gik-Ragu-Bagi." As she was speaking, Shion rose in the air and a barrier was erected around her to prevent anybody from the outside interfering. Then, she heard Naruto scream out.

"NO, SHION," the Uzumaki yelled. "WHAT'RE YOU DOING, YOU'RE JUST UNSEALING HIS BODY. YOUR SOUL IS MIXING WITH HIS ALREADY AND THE BARRIER PREVENTS YOU FROM GOING OUTSIDE!" Immediately, Yomi began to laugh loudly as Shion realized the true purpose of the seal. The entire cavern began to shake and the lava began to ooze out, destroying a lot of the land. Then, Yomi came into the barrier and fell to the floor with a black wisp rising from the body. It released a large amount of wind, which caused Yomi's corpse to go outside the barrier but Shion was kept in.

Naruto cursed before rushing over to the barrier. _I'm going to have to use my own barrier, _the Uzumaki thought. _By combining the principles of fuuinjutsu and barrier ninjutsu. _He reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out five tags with a chakra-sealing formula on each. Normally, he would need some boulder to stick the tags on but since he was trying to neutralize another behaviour, this would work. "**Five-Seal Barrier,**" Naruto yelled and threw the tags. They made a pentagon around the barrier and Shion's barrier became smaller immediately, the chakra getting absorbed.

"This boy has a lot of talent, indeed," Mouryou laughed. "You're using fuuinjutsu and barrier ninjutsu in sync. That's very impressive for a boy of your age. But you won't make it in time, brat! Shion is as good as mine. Now come, darling, hurry up and let me absorb your soul!"

"I-I don't g-get it," Shion said. "W-What's g-going on?"

"The Shrine Seal is not supposed to seal me away," Mouryou explained. "It's actually supposed to be used by the priestess to fuse with the demon so we can bring out my true form. Thus, if I absorb you right now, I can assume my real form and resurrect my Thousand-Year Kingdom once again." The barrier around them collapsed since Naruto's barrier had sealed away all of the chakra in the five tags, which were sizzling on the floor.

"Did we do it?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow. Mouryou's voice had disappeared and there was a silence. However, he was answered when the floor began to shake and large dark tentacles rose out of it. _Holy shit, _Naruto thought. _We're in some deep trouble here. _He was quickly flung away with the wave of a tentacle while the floor beneath Shion's feet crumbled, causing her to fall in. "NO, SHION," Naruto yelled. "**Wind Release Stream.**" He blew wind at the air, pushing himself back towards Shion whilst in mid-air.

Shion's bell began to glow and Mouryou laughed, "Relax, there's no need for these tears. I can't fully absorb you although I've regained most of my full strength, thanks to you. You should have researched on it before you trained to do it; now, the destruction of the world is at hand. BUT FIRST, I WILL TEST THIS BRAT!" Shion heard Naruto's voice screaming out and she realized that her vision was becoming true, since she was still alive.

"**Multi-S****hadow Clone Jutsu,**" Naruto yelled, summoning a large number of shadow clones. While he was a little bit tired from the Five-Seal Barrier, he was determined to save Shion and nothing could stop him. The legions of clones all rushed towards Mouryou but the demon easily destroyed them with his tentacles. Then, serpents came out of the creature and continued to destroy the clones. Soon, only Naruto and six more shadow clones were left over.

"Time to bust out my new combo," the Uzumaki declared, nodding to Clone Naruto 1. "**Toad Oil Bullet.**" He expelled a large volume of oil at the creature, getting it all wet. Mouryou roared in protest and moved to attack Naruto, but was too slow.

"**Fire Style: Running Fire,**" Clone Naruto 1 yelled and he directed a large ring of fire at Mouryou. The demon gave a loud wail as he was burned up, the oil getting ignited by the fire. It was similar to wind and fire although it wasn't as large but more powerful; Mouryou's tentacles were burning badly but the demon was recovering and easily shaking off the fire. "NOW, GUYS," Naruto ordered the other clones. Clone Narutos 2 to 6 all charged up an incomplete Rasengan and slammed it into the mass of darkness.

"You're very strong, brat," Mouryou laughed. "But this isn't nearly enough to defeat me!" He rose and his tentacles shot towards Naruto, who quickly dodged them before smashing his fist into the side of the limb. As Mouryou recoiled back, Naruto made a cross-finger seal and yelled out, "**Shadow Clone Jutsu.**" He summoned a barrage of shadow clones, who rushed towards Mouryou, but the demon easily tore through them.

Eventually, all of his clones had been destroyed and Naruto was all alone, panting. He could feel the exhaustion from the day climbing onto him but he thought frantically, _I need to protect Shion. I can't let her die like this. _"Darn it," the Uzumaki cursed. He got to his feet and inhaled heavily. "I'm not going to give up. **Wind ****Style: Toad Oil Bullet.**" He exhaled a large torrent of oil, empowered by wind, and it crashed into the serpent. It broke down a few heads but Mouryou just got up again, shrugging off the oil. Since it was mixed with oil, it was thinner than before and was easier to wipe off.

Naruto assumed the Toad Style and took out a kunai, enhancing it with wind chakra. It looked sharper now and the blonde raced into the darkness with it, intending to slice through the demon. He quickly dodged one of the serpents before riding atop another one, before stabbing it with his kunai. "Take this," Naruto yelled out, smirking. _I can pull this off, after all, _he thought. Then, Naruto's attention fell on the eye of the Shrine Seal and he was seemingly hypnotised by it.

Suddenly, the blonde was jarred to the side as he felt a tentacle smash against him. Naruto turned and realized that he was in a sphere of light which Mouryou's serpents couldn't pierce. However, one of them slammed into him and Naruto was sent tumbling to the floor. His protection vanished and Naruto stood up slowly, his head hurting from the fall. _I need to get better at skydiving, _Naruto thought. He'd seen Jiraiya do it many times and he needed it if he wanted to land smoothly.

"Is this what you really want, Shion?" Mouryou mocked. "You really want to protect the brat so much? Well, I'll make sure that he's chopped into tiny little pieces by my tentacles." Shion's eyes widened as she realized that Naruto still wasn't safe and she began to cry, thinking about how much she couldn't change the fate of the boy she loved. _These stupid visions, _Shion thought, her sadness turning to anger. She didn't notice her bell glowing with energy until she was surrounded in an aura of radiance.

"WHAT?" Mouryou yelled out. "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING, NO!" Inside him, Shion had taken on an angelic form with red markings on her face and her power caused the darkness around her to explode away.

"**Mystic Safety Bell Seal: Release,**" Shion yelled, power flowing out of her. She levitated into the air, the space where she was standing was causing several ripples of light to flow through the darkness. "Naruto," she said. "Can you hear me? I entrust this world to you and your friends; I know you can protect it with all of your strength. I need to take Mouryou with me on this one."

"NOO," Mouryou roared. "SO YOUR POWER COMES FROM THAT BELL! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN-"

"Wrong," Shion said, her voice gentle. "The bell channels my frustration, sadness, happiness, and most of all, love. My mother knew this and is entrusting it to me. I won't let you crush the dreams of so many people." She thought about Naruto and how he protected his friends until the very end. _I'm sorry, Naruto, _she thought. _I never got to tell you how I felt about you. Now, you can live in- _Suddenly, her form disappeared and Naruto came in, screaming. "SHION," he roared. "DON'T YOU DARE!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of Mouryou's being, back in the open.

"Open your eyes," Naruto said. "And breathe! Can you see? Can you hear? What is your heart telling you? Do you really want to die like this?" He seemed furious as if he couldn't believe that Shion would think of doing something like that.

"I-I," Shion stuttered, unable to say what she wanted.

"Look at you," Naruto said. "Wasting the only chance you have to tell me what you really want. TELL ME, SHION, WHAT DO YOU WANT?" He made a shadow clone since he knew what Shion was going to say. She was like him and Naruto wanted to see the real Shion, not the fake he had seen up until then. "I," Shion began, getting louder, "WANT TO LIVE!"

"Alright, then," Naruto said, holding out his hand. He had finally figured out how to do the Rasengan; his shadow clone began to rotate the air on his hand with chakra, eventually creating a swirling ball of blue chakra. Shion put her hand on it and it began to glow, getting larger and more purple. "That's right," the blonde said, smirking. "Live for a better future! Keep it coming: MORE!" Shion pushed even more chakra with Naruto's and eventually, the sphere became enormous and now looked blue and purple.

"HEY, MOURYOU," Naruto called out, causing the demon to fix its deadly stare at him. "THIS IS **SHION'S AND MY SUPER CHAKRA RASENGAN.**" He immediately charged down towards Mouryou and slammed it into the demon's base, creating a massive explosion through the cavern. Their attack was so strong that even the lava between the chunks of earth had been disintegrated. Mouryou let out a final roar before his darkness was forever extinguished by Shion and Naruto's combined lights.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What was that?" Gai asked as they felt the tremors. He was tired from using the Eight Gates although with his and the other ninjas' help, they had taken down most of the Ghost Army. Besides, the remaining few had stopped marching and had disappeared. They all turned and saw an amazing sight; the volcano became active and began shooting out lava, making it a beautiful scene. "Naruto completed the mission, eh?" Kakashi eye-smiled, covering his left eye with his hitai-ate. Then, he sat on the floor and panted.

"Hey, do we need to carry you?" Asuma asked. He wasn't a stranger to Kakashi's problems from using his Sharingan, due to not being an Uchiha.

"No, I'll be fine," Kakashi said. "For now, I can't move but I'll be able to in a few hours. I didn't use my Sharingan for long so it'll be fine."

"Hello, Kakashi-senpai," a voice said. Yamato came out the forest with Sasuke and Sakura close behind him. "It turns out that this mission was a success."

"Indeed," Gai said, causing Yamato to bow. "Why are you bowing, whoever you are?"

"Your taijutsu skills are very common in Konoha," Yamato explained. "Your book on youth is also very good as it provides a lot of inspiration to people. Well met, Gai-senpai." Asuma and Kurenai rolled their eyes, feeling a bit jealous of Kakashi and Gai's status in Konoha. One was the famous Copy Ninja that had copied over a thousand jutsu while the other was Gai the Green Beast of Konoha, who was one of the greatest taijutsu fighters in the world.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sarutobi smiled proudly as he saw the volcano in the distance, thinking about himself in his prime. _Those were the days, _he thought in regret. But he brought his mind back to the topic at hand and he was extremely happy that they had prevented Mouryou from arising again. He would get the full report from Yamato and the jonin soon and he expected them back the next day since the Land of Swamps was quite close to the Hidden Leaf. Sarutobi was quite eager to see what Naruto and Sasuke had done in the mission and it seemed that the Civilian Council also wanted that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, everybody had gathered their things and were waiting for Naruto and Shion to show up. The duo still hadn't come out of the volcano they had activated a while ago. "Very impressive," Asuma commented. "To think that the Uzumaki kid would be so skilled. He's already chunin material." As he said that, the other jounin nodded while Sakura and Sasuke seethed in jealousy.

"What do you guys mean?" Sasuke said, causing them to look at him. "I'm the Uchiha Elite so the dobe shouldn't be as strong as me. Besides, I could probably kick his ass since he's probably using some cheap jutsu to increase his powers or something."

"How stupid are you, kid?" Kurenai asked, her red eyes blazing. It reminded them of the Sharingan although it didn't seem as cold and didn't have any tomoes. "Naruto saved Shion from Mouryou and they destroyed one of the greatest demons after the Bijuu. You can't compare to that-"

"YOU CAN'T TALK TO SASUKE-KUN LIKE THAT," Sakura screeched. "HE'S WAY STRONGER THAN NARUTO-BAKA; HE WAS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AND-"

"Naruto defeated Haku, Aoi Rokushou, and helped in liberating the Land of Waves," Kakashi interrupted, fixing his steely gaze on her. "And now, he's defeated Mouryou and fulfilled his mission in protecting Shion."

"To add to that, he's also taken down four of Mouryou's subordinates all by himself at one point. Sasuke does not compare to that!" Yamato said to back his superior up.

"Tell me how he became so strong," Sasuke roared. "I demand that you give me this information since I need that power more than him. It's my right as an Uchiha that-"

"Nobody cares," Asuma interrupted, causing Sasuke to glare at him. "This is a closely guarded secret of Konoha and unless Naruto decides to tell you, we can't reveal anything. Kid, you have genin skills and jutsu while Naruto has chunin-level or even higher jutsu not to mention his stamina and taijutsu. You two are in completely different leagues!"

"THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE," Sasuke roared. "HOW CAN THE DOBE HAVE SURPASSED ME? I HAVE AWOKEN MY SHARINGAN AND I SHOULD-" He couldn't finish as Gai karate-chopped him in the neck, causing him to pass out.

"Such an unyouthful boy," Gai commented. "Naruto has already proven that with hard work, you can even beat a natural genius. My Lee is already very eager to prove this to Neji and Sasuke." The others sweat-dropped at Gai's rants about youth when Naruto and Shion emerged out of the volcano. Sakura felt even angrier when she saw Naruto holding Shion like a bride. _Why's he carrying her like that? _the pink-haired girl thought. _I thought he liked me! _Apparently, she loved getting attention as well as giving it.

"It's okay, Naruto," Shion giggled. "You can put me down now." Naruto raised an eyebrow but set her down before looking at the sunset. It was the dawn of a new day for him and the priestess, who had grown on him.

"So I guess your priestess days are over," Naruto said, putting his hands behind his head. "You're finally free of your duties, right?"

"Not yet," Shion replied. "I am still needed to watch over here in case Mouryou ever comes back. I must continue to learn fuuinjutsu and seal away other demons that ever trample the earth."

"I need to tell you something, Shion," Naruto said. "I also have a demon inside me; it's the Kyuubi no Yoko, otherwise known as the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. It was placed into me by Konoha's Yondaime Hokage to prevent the monster from destroying the village. How do you feel about that?"

"A-Are you s-serious?" Shion looked surprised. "I had no idea that you contained a much stronger demon that Mouryou. Yet you're always so cheerful and happy. Weren't you discriminated in Konoha for the burden you carry?"

"Yes," Naruto admitted, his eyes becoming sad. Shion could see the sea of sorrow in his eyes and wondered just how much he must have suffered. "For eleven years of my life, I had been hated and there had been numerous assassination attempts on my life. The villagers believed that I was the Kyuubi and the fox had taken over my body. Only a few people ever acknowledged me and they're the only reason I stay in this village. I want to change the villagers' opinion on me and my dream is to become Hokage!"

"I see," Shion beamed at him. He was the perfect man for her; Naruto had always protected her and never seemed to give up. He also understood her and possessed a demon himself, not knowing love from a woman. The Uzumaki also knew a handful of fuuinjutsu and she did as well, so they seemed compatible with each other. The last reason was that Naruto almost never kept his emotions in check while Shion restrained her feelings behind her spoiled, bratty persona, which she had begun to ditch after meeting the blonde.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Naruto asked, causing her to blink. "You just spaced out for a moment. Are you okay or do I have to carry you again?"

"No, it's okay, Naruto," Shion said. "I just thinking about something. There has to be a priestess after me that I can pass on my powers to... so I was wondering if you could help me with that?" She blushed lightly but Naruto didn't see it. The blonde only took a second to decide.

"Of course, Shion," Naruto smiled, giving her a thumbs-up. "I always help people, since that's just the guy I am." They smiled at each other while Kakashi, Gai, Yamato, Asuma, Kurenai, and Sakura stood there with their jaws on the floor. _Did he seriously just...? _They thought simultaneously. _Did she just...? _Naruto turned and wondered what was wrong with them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They reached the Land of Demons by evening since they are all able-bodied shinobi. However, Kakashi had to carry the unconscious Sasuke while Naruto carried Shion, who loved the close contact with the Uzumaki. His acceptance kept ringing in her ears and she couldn't help but blush as she imagined Naruto and her having some things together. _NO, don't think of that, _Shion thought. _He probably didn't even understand; the baka! But he will soon... _Naruto was completely oblivious to this and jumped from branch-to-branch cheerfully.

The other jonin were wondering when they would get to Shion's home since they wanted to pull Naruto over and explain what exactly Shion wanted from him. Kakashi thought Naruto deserved love from a woman, Gai kept talking about Naruto's youth, Asuma thought the blonde wasn't ready, while Kurenai just wanted Naruto to know what she wanted him to do exactly. Yamato agreed with Kakashi and didn't comment on the topic.

Shion's castle had been repaired from the attack of the Gang of Four. So there were enough rooms for them; Kakashi, Gai, and Yamato shared a room while Asuma and Kurenai shared another. "Oh, what're you guys going to do?" Kakashi asked, looking up from his orange book. To his amusement, Kurenai blushed while Asuma looked away before retreating to their room. "They will be engaging in youthful activities!" Gai announced, causing Kakashi and Yamato to burst in laughter at the sentence.

Fortunately, Naruto didn't get a room with Sakura or Sasuke, who were most likely together, and was instead with Shion. He would definitely pick the priestess over his teammates any day since she didn't yell at him or talk about how much superior she was to him. "Come, Naruto," the priestess whispered, winking at him. "Sit here beside me. Tell me more about you."

"Okay, sure," Naruto said. He then told Shion about how he was an orphan, Sarutobi took care of him, the numerous attempts to end his life, the constant killing intent aimed at him, how Iruka had helped him a little out of his shell, Jiraiya training him to be a better shinobi, and finally his experiences in Team 7. Shion was completely astounded that Naruto hadn't lost his mind after getting so much hate from the villagers although she knew that Iruka, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and everybody else had helped Naruto be sane.

"Wow, Naruto," Shion said. "I didn't know your life was so hard. I'm so sorry for not being nice to you earlier. It's just I-" She stopped when Naruto raised his hand, smiling at her.

"It's okay," Naruto said. "Taruho told me about how your visions ostracised you from the villagers here. We're the same, you and me." He was surprised to see that Shion had tears in her eyes and without thinking, he pulled her into a hug. The priestess clung to him, letting her tears drench the black t-shirt underneath his jacket. After a few moments, Naruto realized that she had fallen asleep and moving would only wake her up. He quickly put the covers over her and closed his eyes, falling asleep soon afterwards.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"HEY, KAKASHI-SENSEI," Naruto roared. "I CHALLENGE YOU TO A FIGHT! RIGHT NOW!" The copycat ninja looked up from his orange book and eye-smiled as Naruto entered the training ground. Shion had a massive training area in front of her castle, which was used by monks to train her in fuuinjutsu, and the Uzumaki intended to make full use of it. Besides, they had a few hours to go before leaving to Konoha and he wanted to see how much stronger he had gotten since the Bell Test.

"Alright, Naruto," Kakashi said, putting his Icha Icha Paradise book away. "I look forward to seeing how strong you've become. You were around mid-chunin level when we fought during the Bell Test but I think you've progressed to high-chunin level. Let's see if I'm correct?" Sasuke, Sakura, the monks, Shion, and the jonin had all gathered to see this fight. _Can he give **the **Kakashi Hatake a good fight?_ they all thought.

Kakashi charged towards Naruto, becoming invisible with speed. Naruto assumed the Toad Style and thanks to his reflexes, he barely dodged Kakashi's punch before kicking at the copycat ninja. The man blocked his kick before throwing another punch, which Naruto caught with his right hand. He turned to the ground and used his other leg to kick at Kakashi's head, but the man blocked it with his elbow. He pushed Naruto away, causing some distance between them.

"How about it, sensei?" Naruto smirked. "Have I improved?"

"You have, Naruto," Kakashi eye-smiled. "But it's not enough to deal with me."

"Well, if that's the case," Naruto made his signature cross-finger seal. "Let's kick it up a notch. **Shadow Clone Jutsu.**" He summoned a dozen clones, who all charged towards Kakashi. The Copy Ninja dodged them and rolled to the side before yelling out, "**Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu.**" He released a barrage of fireballs at the shadow clones, dispersing them without effort. "Hey, sensei," Naruto's voice came from above. "Let's see how you deal with my new jutsu. **Rasengan!**"

Everybody there was amazed that Naruto knew such a jutsu while the jonin looked the most shocked. _He knows the Yondaime's personal jutsu?! _Gai, Asuma, Yamato and Kurenai thought simultaneously. _How much has Jiraiya-sama taught him?! _Naruto's clone disappeared and the Uzumaki plummeted towards Kakashi, thrusting the Rasengan. Kakashi quickly backed away, causing Naruto to crash into the ground where he had previously stood. It destroyed the area, creating a good five meter tunnel into the ground.

"**Lightning Cutter,**" Kakashi roared before slamming his lightning-enhanced hand towards Naruto. As he suspected, a log appeared in Naruto's place and Kakashi's thrust tore through it. _A Replacement Jutsu, eh? _Kakashi turned and surveyed his surroundings, looking for any sign of Naruto. While it would have been easier, he didn't want to use his Sharingan to locate Naruto. A shuriken flew out of a tree and came at Kakashi with great speed, but the jonin easily deflected it with a kunai. Then, a second shuriken came at him before Naruto yelled out, "**Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu.**"

Kakashi's eye widened as he realized that Naruto had tricked him; he quickly took out another kunai and deflected the shuriken as much as possible, before backing away. Then, Naruto appeared beside him in a burst of speed and kicked at him although Kakashi's reflexes kicked in and he ducked it. Naruto punch at his sensei's abdomen but the copycat ninja easily rolled out of the way. "Nice try, Naruto," Kakashi complimented. "Not many people can catch me off guard although you should know that I won't fall for such meagre tactics."

"You're right, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto nodded. "Let's see if you truly have a thousand jutsu under that belt of yours." He began weaving through signs while Kakashi did the same, causing everybody to gasp in surprise. While he wasn't as fast, Naruto could weave through the hand-seals with great speed, his hands becoming a blur to Sasuke and Sakura.

"Impressive, Naruto," Kakashi said. "**Lightning Style: Electromagnetic Murder.**" He released a wave of static electricity at Naruto from his hands, who had also finished his hand-signs for his jutsu.

"You shouldn't have used lightning, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto chided. "**Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullet.**" He expelled a highly compressed ball of air from his stomach, which easily ripped through Kakashi's electricity and would have killed the Copy Ninja, but he easily rolled away from the blast.

Everybody at the castle was impressed and in awe at Naruto's skill. It wasn't everyday that you saw a genin spar with Kakashi Hatake and stand his ground for this long. Kakashi sprang to his feet and executed his next technique, "**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.**" He blew out a large ball of fire, which raced towards Naruto.

"Bad element again, sensei," Naruto shook his head, going through some hand-seals. "**Water Style: Wild Water Wave.**" He blew out a large wave of water, which easily extinguished Kakashi's fireball and drenched the copycat ninja. Kakashi backed up and looked at Naruto, trying to analyse the situation. The boy was skilled in wind and water jutsu but wasn't as skilled in the other elements. _I know just the jutsu, _he thought.

"This match is over, Naruto," Kakashi yelled. He used a Horse-Dog-Bird-Ox-Snake sequence. "**Earth Style: Earth and Stone Dragon.**" A large dragon rose out of the ground and shot towards the Uzumaki, its mouth wide open. Naruto cursed and realized his water and wind jutsu wouldn't work here. _I need to use a fire and oil combo,_ he realized.

"**Toad Oil Bullet,**" Naruto released a large amount of oil. It splattered onto the earth dragon, slowing it down, but didn't affect it much. The jonin wondered what the blonde was trying to do when it hit them. However, Kakashi had already realized it and had already made a large distance between the two of them. "**Fire Style: Running Fire,**" he yelled and shot a ring of fire from his feet to the oil-baked dragon, causing it to explode in flames. Out of the smoke, Naruto came out with another Rasengan and slammed it into Kakashi's abdomen, but the man disappeared in smoke.

Naruto was soon trapped in a head-lock and Kakashi forced him to the ground before locking his limbs. "One, two, three," he said, before letting go. "Remember to always keep your eyes on your opponent. But you _have _grown stronger although I would say that you're between mid-chunin and high-chunin level. You've still got a long way to go, Naruto."

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said. "We should pack up now since we're going to leave in a few hours." The copycat ninja nodded and left to his chambers to pack up for the journey back home. It wouldn't take a lot of time since they didn't have anybody slowing them down and would probably reach by noon. The other jonin were deeply impressed by Naruto's performance and congratulated him, before also leaving.

The Uzumaki hummed in happiness since he finally knew where he stood and was walking to Shion's quarters when Sasuke and Sakura intercepted him. "Wait, Naruto," Sakura said, causing Naruto to look at her in surprise. "Me and Sasuke-kun need to talk to you."

"About what exactly?" Naruto asked. "I'm not going to tell you guys about how I got these skills, if that's what you want to know." As soon as he said that, their expressions changed back; Sakura's kind face evaporated into her normal, scowling face while Sasuke's bored look disappeared to reveal an angry, young man. "TELL ME, DOBE," he thundered. "WHO TAUGHT YOU THESE JUTSU? You couldn't possibly have learned this by yourself."

"And for the last time," Naruto said, looking at them evenly. "I have no intention of telling you, Sasuke-teme. You're just a fool who wants power to kill his brother and you direct your hatred to whoever you find."

"NARUTO," Sasuke roared and charged at Naruto, taking advantage of the blonde's tiredness from his fight. Naruto blocked his punch but couldn't react fast enough to stop Sasuke from kicking him in the gut, sending him flying back. He quickly regained his footing as he didn't want to destroy Shion's home in the process and quickly took out a chakra seal and a binding seal. He used the Body Flicker Jutsu to appear behind Sasuke, catching the teme off guard, and stuck the two seals on his back. Before Sakura could react, Naruto had already stuck another binding seal on her.

"I hope someone takes off the tags soon," Naruto said, smiling. He would come back later but wanted to see the Uchiha helpless for a while, leaving to re-seal his bag into his scroll. He had realized that the problem with the binding seal could be fixed by adding a chakra seal; a binding seal could be broken by releasing chakra but the chakra seal would prevent that, thus keeping the target completely still and with his chakra getting drained. Naruto speculated that it would take two minutes before Sakura's chakra would be on the brink of dying out while Sasuke's would take around ten minutes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was almost time to go and Naruto found Shion crying at the edge of a pond. "What's wrong, Shion?" he asked, sitting beside her. "You know I'll come back, right?" He was surprised when Shion turned to him with tears in her eyes and hugged him tightly, confusing Naruto deeply. He hugged her for a while until she separate and begun to explain why she was so sad.

"Naruto, you're the only one who understands me," Shion pleaded. "Taruho's gone and these monks don't understand my emotions or pain. Please, Naruto, don't go; I won't have anybody to talk and play with me after this."

"Sorry, Shion," Naruto said, causing her to sob again. "My dream is to become Hokage so I can't stay here but I'll make a promise with you. I'll visit you every two months and you need to be happy here. After all, you know that I keep my promises. So how about it?"

"Okay, Naruto-kun," Shion said, the -kun suffix almost becoming natural. "I accept the deal but you have to visit me every two months starting from tomorrow."

"Alright," Naruto smiled. "Don't give the monks too much trouble and try not to act spoiled anymore. I really can't that attitude especially after knowing that you're someone much more wonderful." Shion blushed, unable to speak words, and only nodded. Naruto looked at the lake for another moment before getting up and walking away, the wind blowing leaves around him. Then, as Shion continued to look, the blonde disappeared out of sight.

"Are you ready, Naruto?" Kakashi asked when the blonde showed up. Naruto nodded simply and then, they left the Land of Demons via the forest. Everybody was fresh and after Sasuke's and Sakura's seals had been taken off, they had received ample time to regain their chakra for the journey. While Naruto had received a scolding from the jonin, they had laughed at his joke since they didn't like the arrogant Uchiha or the lovestruck fangirl any more than him. However, Sasuke and Sakura hadn't taken lightly to the insult.

_I'll get you for this, Naruto, _Sasuke thought. _For every bit of my honour that you've destroyed, I'm going to get my revenge. _He began to plan on increasing his training but now, this mission had provided him with a lot of jutsu from the Gang of Four and Kakashi. He had copied them all with his Sharingan and it wouldn't be long before he improved his chakra control so that his lack of chakra didn't put him behind Naruto. Meanwhile, Sakura was enraged at how everybody swooned around Naruto while they brushed aside Sasuke. _They'll learn respect for Sasuke-kun, _the pink-haired girl thought.


	7. Chapter 7

Yes, this is what you've all been waiting for! The Chunin Exams are finally here and you get to see how the characters progress. Naruto's not so useless during the Written Test, in my fanfiction. Enjoy!

**Chapter 7: **_A New Chapter - The Chunin Exams__  
_

"I see," Sarutobi said, brooding. "Very well; all of you are dismissed except Yamato and Naruto." They nodded before leaving the office, with Sasuke being the first one out. He was already heading towards the Uchiha Compound to resume his training; after copying so many techniques with his Sharingan, Sasuke couldn't wait to begin mastering them and improve his usage of the Sharingan. This included building up some speed and chakra. Sakura left to a beauty parlour, which she always did after going on a mission.

Kakashi wanted to read so he left to the Hokage Monument, sitting on his sensei's head. However, the other senseis weren't so lucky; Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai had to return to their teams and inform them of their arrival. They nodded and left the room while Naruto and Yamato stayed. "Naruto," Sarutobi interrupted. "Go and stand outside the door for a minute while I talk to your captain, alright?" The blonde grunted but complied to the elderly Hokage's wishes.

"Alright, Yamato," Sarutobi said, looking at the Wood-Style user. "Tell me about the mission and their abilities." Yamato bowed and began to tell the Sandaime about Team 7's abilities and personalities, from what he saw.

"I'll start with Sakura Haruno," Yamato said. "She's the weak link in our team since she doesn't know any ninjutsu outside what the basic Academy jutsu. I think the Transformation, Clone, and Replacement Jutsu are the ones ones she knows. She doesn't know any taijutsu and can't engage in any hand-to-hand fights. The only thing she's good at is throwing kunai and shuriken with accuracy."

"Kakashi told me that she was good chakra control," Sarutobi said. "Did she display any skills with that?"

"Nope," Yamato shook his head. "Even if she learned how to use her chakra properly, Sakura probably forget. She seems only interested in asking Sasuke out and even after he rejects her, she continues to run after him. This leads me to the Uchiha; Sasuke is quite strong for a genin and I would put him between high-genin and low-chunin level since he knows the Uchiha Style, which is more effective now that he's awakened his Sharingan. He only knows the genjutsu that Kakashi-senpai taught him. Sasuke also has a large number of techniques after this mission since he copied almost every jutsu used aside from Naruto's and when he was knocked out."

"What about his personality?" Sarutobi asked. "Did he seem unstable or normal to you?"

"He's sort of a flight risk," Yamato said. "He lusts for power, to defeat Itachi-senpai no doubt, and is desperate to learn how Naruto got so strong. I can only imagine what would happen if he found that Jiraiya-sama was teaching Naruto... Hokage-sama, you need to get the boy some training otherwise he will defect from Konoha. I can see that he's another Orochimaru."

"I'll make sure he isn't," Sarutobi said, his eyes determined. "Now, tell me about Naruto."

"He's an excellent shinobi," Yamato said, smiling. "Jiraiya-sama did a number on him since I would place him between mid-chunin and high-chunin levels. Naruto has great taijutsu since he's learned the Toad Style from Jiraiya-sama. He fought the people that were after Shion, four-on-one, and still managed to succeed without trouble. He's also learned how to incorporate his shadow clones into taijutsu and receives frequent help from them. However, Naruto doesn't know any genjutsu although I'm informed that Jiraiya-sama taught him how to break through one."

"What about his ninjutsu, fuuinjutsu, and barrier ninjutsu skills?" Sarutobi inquired, leaning forward.

"He's immensely good in them," Yamato said. "Naruto's got a large number of wind and water jutsu although doesn't have a lot of fire jutsu. He doesn't have any earth or lightning jutsu. However, Jiraiya-sama's taught Naruto his signature toad jutsu and Naruto displayed usage of a few. His fuuinjutsu abilities are also very good as he was able to trap his opponent in a cocoon as well as storing them in scrolls. This is the enemy we faced!" Yamato handed Sarutobi the scroll with Shizuku.

"When you tap on the symbol," Yamato explained, "the enemy will come out of the scroll, without the cocoon. Anyway, Naruto's barrier ninjutsu is also very good since he withstood all four of these guys with a lightning style barrier, which self-destructed when released. Strength-wise I would say that Naruto is very strong and would probably high-level chunin although his maturity and thinking pushes him down a bit."

"I can understand," Sarutobi said. "Jiraiya was the same way and still is, although it is much less frequent. This is one thing that Naruto can improve only by playing games such as shogi and chess, that require strategic thinking. Otherwise, he'll face problems with his hot-headedness. But I trust that this isn't a major problem, correct?"

"Of course not," Yamato scoffed. "In fact, Naruto's much more calmer than the Uchiha. Sasuke also loses himself in anger whenever the opponent appears to be stronger than him and mocks him. Compared to that, Naruto is much more level-headed and analyses the situation. But even Kakashi-senpai noted that if Naruto became a bit more calculating, he could reach the pinnacle of the chunin league."

"Okay, anything else you wanted to report?" Sarutobi asked. As soon as he said it, Yamato's face became a shade of red and he seemed nervous. Sarutobi raised an eyebrow since he had never see the jonin with such an expression. _It must've been something embarrassing, _Sarutobi thought obviously.

"Well, uh," Yamato stuttered, his voice reddening. "After they came out of the volcano, ah, they talked about... stuff. And, uh, Shion asked Naruto about, uh, the need for another, ah, priestess. She asked if Naruto could... help." He didn't need to say anymore since Sarutobi got the message, beginning to laugh while Yamato just looked away in shame. Sarutobi continued his roaring laughter for a while before it subsided.

"Interesting," Sarutobi smiled. "Very well, Yamato, you're finished now. You are to return to your ANBU duties although from now on, you're Kakashi's replacement if he's ever busy. Got it?" The Wood-Style user nodded and the elderly Hokage added, "Call Naruto in when you're leaving, please." He nodded again before leaving the Sandaime's office.

"Naruto, Hokage-sama wants to speak with you," Yamato said, pointing to the door. "Don't worry, he just wants to exchange some words since he's very impressed by your performance. I've also told him about your promise to Shion and he might mention it. Do you understand what we told you about it?" He was glad to see that Naruto blushed and nodded.

"I get it, Yamato-taicho," Naruto said. "You guys explained it to me. Taicho, don't forget that you have to teach me some of your earth and water ninjutsu. When should we start?" The Wood-Style user thought for a moment before answering. The Chunin Exams would start the day after tomorrow so he couldn't tire Naruto with training so he would have to wait until Naruto passed the first three rounds.

"It's going to take a while, Naruto," Yamato said. "I'm not going to be free until the end of next week. You're going to be training with Jiraiya during this time so don't worry. What do you say, Naruto?"

"Sure, Yamato-sensei," Naruto said, causing Yamato to smile. "I don't really mind when you teach me as long I get to learn from you. Have a nice day, sensei."

Yamato returned the expression before turning and vanishing with the Body Flicker, leaving Naruto to enter the Hokage's office. Sarutobi was sitting there, brooding and thinking something. The blonde had heard Yamato and him laughing a moment ago and wondered what the elderly Hokage was thinking. Sarutobi was actually thinking about the Chunin Exams and the training he would need to get Kakashi to teach Sasuke, considering the boy needed some special treatment otherwise there would be some problems.

"Hey, old man," Naruto greeted, causing Sarutobi to look up. "Yamato-sensei said that you wanted to talk to me? He said that you really liked my performance." Sarutobi immediately noticed the -sensei suffix and he wondered what the Wood-Style user would teach Naruto. _He probably asked him for some water and earth jutsu, _the aged Hokage thought.

"Please take a seat, Naruto," Sarutobi said, gesturing to the chair. Naruto took a seat and leaned forward, eager to hear what the Sandaime wanted to talk to him about.

"First, I wanted to congratulate you on completing such an important mission and to tell you that Jiraiya's waiting for you at the hot springs," Sarutobi said, noticing the Uzumaki's sigh at his sensei's habit. "He wanted me to tell you to come for training as soon as possible. From the sensei title, I take it that you will be training with Yamato?"

"Not really," Naruto said. "Yamato-sensei just agreed to teach me some techniques since I like water jutsu and I currently don't have any earth jutsu. Besides, he knows the Wood Style and he can also help my taijutsu. We won't start until the week after next week and we'll be training in the mornings."

"That's good," Sarutobi beamed. "I have nothing against a curious boy wanting to learn more. Now, I've heard that you've learned the Rasengan. That's very impressive for a 12-year-old."

"It was quite easy now that I think about it," Naruto said, scratching his head. "I needed to apply Shape Transformation to channeled chakra, which I thought was like looking at the right and left at the same time. So I just divided the task with a shadow clone so that I would pump the chakra while the clone rotated the air with it and _voila, _you've got the Rasengan."

"That's a good way of learning it," Sarutobi said, assuming a 'not bad' look. "If I had thought of it that way then I wouldn't have wasted so much time. I tried to learn how to do it with only one hand, which took several months of training to pull off. If I had thought about the Shadow Clone Jutsu, I could have learned it so much quicker. Well, anyway, good job Naruto."

"What else did you want to talk about, old man?" Naruto asked, relaxing. Sarutobi was his surrogate grandfather, a man that he looked up to and loved in the village. He knew that the Sandaime would only ask the questions that the blonde was comfortable with and he wouldn't do something to intentionally upset him.

"Now, I want to talk to you about your promise to Shion," Sarutobi smiled as Naruto blushed. "It's perfectly fine, Naruto, since you need to resurrect the Uzumaki Clan later. You see, Konoha has a thing known as the Clan Restoration Act, which is when males go out to repopulate their extinct clans by impregnating women. Since Shion is a priestess, also specialized in fuuinjutsu, she will be the perfect wife for you."

"I see," Naruto said, his colour coming back. He had been worried that he couldn't be Hokage if he fulfilled his promise with Shion but he could just make her his wife; besides, the Uzumaki had deep feelings for her despite not mentioning them to the priestess. "That's a relief," he continued. "I thought that I couldn't become Hokage and would have to stay in the Land of Demons, taking care of the kid."

"No, don't worry," Sarutobi said. "You can marry her and have a child with Shion, even if you are Hokage. She can take regular trips between the Land of Fire and the Land of Demons, which isn't a long distance. Oh, and Naruto, you also need to have other women for the Clan Restoration Act?" He laughed as Naruto began to blush again, his face reddening like a tomato.

"W-What?!" Naruto said, letting his face fall to the desk. "Old man, this isn't fair. You can't force me to repopulate the Uzumaki Clan with so many women that-"

"You misunderstood me, Naruto," Sarutobi smiled. "I said that you could have several wives although you don't need to. You could just marry Shion and have an heir although there would be nothing wrong with going after other women. We're trying to repopulate the Uzumaki Clan, not marrying one woman like a regular marriage. It's up to you, kid." Naruto nodded although the idea of having a harem seemed appealing to him, not that he would admit it to Sarutobi or anyone else. Jiraiya would probably love the thought and try to continue his work on converting Naruto to a pervert.

"Alright, anything else, old man?" Naruto asked, snapping out of his reverie.

"No, that's it," Sarutobi smiled. "You're dismissed, Naruto." The blonde nodded before disappearing in a swirl of leaves to find Jiraiya. _You're getting impossibly stronger, Naruto, _Sarutobi thought. Jiraiya had truly changed the boy; before, Naruto had been a clueless dobe that would have been a liability. But now, he was curious and knowledgeable as well as strong, besting even the Uchiha of his class. If he improved his strategies, Sarutobi was sure he was looking at a high-chunin quality genin.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto found Jiraiya in his usual spot; spying on women with his telescope. "Yo, Ero-Sennin," he called up to the man, who heard him and was relieved to see that the women hadn't been scared. Jiraiya quickly packed up his telescope and jumped down to the floor. He told Naruto to go to the training ground and the two vanished in a cloud of smoke, courtesy of the Body Flicker Jutsu.

"So, Ero-Sennin," Naruto prompted. "What're we going to learn about today?"

"I've heard that you've learned the Rasengan," Jiraiya said. "Let me see it then, brat."

"Sure thing," Naruto said, making a cross-finger seal. "**Shadow Clone Jutsu.**" He summoned one shadow clone and held out his palm. Clone Naruto grabbed at the air and began to twist it, manipulating its form. Soon, the blue swirling ball of chakra appeared on Naruto's palm and his clone dispersed in smoke. "Here is the Rasengan, Ero-Sennin," Naruto said, smiling at Jiraiya's impressed look.

"Good job," Jiraiya said. "That was quite smart, dividing the work up with a shadow clone. But you've still got a while to go before you master the Rasengan, since you've barely had one battle with it. Once you can do this, we'll work on applying Nature Transformation to the Rasengan so that it gets completed. This part was so difficult that the Yondaime passed away before managing to complete it."

"How do I master the Rasengan?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you going to spar against me or something?"

"You need to learn how to use the Rasengan in sync with the Shadow Clone Jutsu and Toad Style," Jiraiya explained. "First, I taught you the Toad Style and you worked to master it. Then, we incorporated your unique usage of shadow clones into the taijutsu style, which you've more or less mastered. Now, we need to add the Rasengan to the mix so it becomes a formidable jutsu during taijutsu as well as ninjutsu."

"Aren't you teaching me some new ninjutsu?" Naruto asked. "Come on, Ero-Sennin, you need to teach me some really strong jutsu that-"

"Patience, Naruto," Jiraiya said. "I'm well aware that you need some fire, earth, and lightning jutsu. Don't worry, I'm going to teach you another fire jutsu and one lightning jutsu. But there's no point in keeping you waiting. These are called the **Fire Style: Flame Bullet **and **Lightning Style: Lightning Rod.**" He showed Naruto the hand-seals for the following; the fire jutsu was a Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger sequence while the lightning jutsu simply required you to raise your hand.

"Cool," Naruto yelled, having seen it. "**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.**" Immediately, they were surrounded by a multitude of shadow clones and Naruto had them assemble in groups of three. "Group 1," the blonde called out, causing the first group to come to attention. "You're going to be learning the Fire Style: Flame Bullet." He turned around to the second group and yelled out, "Group 2, you guys are going to practice Lightning Style: Lightning Rod. Group 3, we're going to be training with Ero-Sennin for the Rasengan."

They got to work after that; Group 1 and Group 2 practised ninjutsu while Naruto and Group 3 worked with Jiraiya on taijutsu and implementing the Rasengan. "How should we attack you, Ero-Sennin?" Clone Naruto asked. The other clones, and the original, also nodded to show that they wanted to know.

"Attack me using the Rasengan," Jiraiya said, grinning. "I'm sure you guys wouldn't be able to do anything to me. Besides, through this exercise, you can learn how to create the Rasengan faster and became adept at it. Now, come!" They all yelled in agreement and the shadow clones created the Rasengan spheres, after which they attacked Jiraiya.

"**Giant Rasengan,**" Jiraiya yelled and he thrust his hand, which held a massive sphere of swirling chakra. He became a blur as he passed through the ranks of Narutos and slammed his Giant Rasengan into a clone's Rasengan, smashing it and dispersing the clone. "Is that all you can do?" Jiraiya asked. "Come on, I expected more." The shadow clones grumbled in indignation and charged at Jiraiya, Rasengan poised to attack.

"**Wind Style: Great Breakthrough,**" Jiraiya yelled and a large gust of wind blew towards the army of clones. The shadow clones slammed their Rasengan attacks against the wind resistance, breaking through it without issue. Jiraiya sighed and backed away before yelling out, "**Fire Style: Running Fire.**" A large ring of fire waded through the ground and burned through several clones, although the others dodged.

Naruto came upon Jiraiya and slammed his Rasengan into the man's chest, only for him to disappear and a log to take his place. "Replacement Jutsu, Ero-Sennin?" Naruto asked, looking around. A shadow clone came to him and formed his Rasengan, creating it faster due to the urgency of the moment. In the bushes, Jiraiya smiled as he saw that and thought, _Looks like he's improving._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That's enough for today, Naruto," Jiraiya said, straightening himself. The blonde nodded and allowed all of his shadow clones to disperse into smoke before he sagged to the ground, tired. "I have something important to tell you," Jiraiya said, taking a seat beside Naruto. "Tomorrow morning, I'm leaving to attend my spy network and won't be back in Konoha for at least a week. You need to study from my scrolls."

"NO," Naruto groaned, allowing himself to lie on the grass. He had gotten his clones' memories on the two techniques and they were now added to his arsenal; the Uzumaki wasn't happy to see his sensei leave for two weeks, since he had gotten so much done with him. "Why can't you send a shadow clone, Ero-Sennin?" Naruto asked.

"I'd only be at half chakra in your training, Naruto," Jiraiya explained. "Have you forgotten the distribution of chakra when using the Shadow Clone Jutsu? Don't worry, kid, it won't be so bad besides you're going to be pre-occupied with the Chunin Exams." Naruto raised an eyebrow and assumed a puzzled look, which surprised the Toad Sage.

"You mean Kakashi hasn't told you?" Jiraiya asked, disappointed. "The Chunin Exams are going to start at the end of this week; this is your opportunity to show off Konoha's power and get promoted to the rank of chunin. Just between your taijutsu and ninjutsu, you'd be mid-chunin level and if you add fuuinjutsu and barrier ninjutsu, I would say you're high-chunin level strength-wise."

"Can you tell me a little about the Chunin Exams, Ero-Sennin?" Naruto asked.

"Alright but I can't tell you a lot," Jiraiya said. "The Chunin Exams will be split up into four phases; the first is a non-combat test, the second is a survival activity, the third is a preliminary combat round, and the last is a tournament to see who would win. If you display chunin-level qualities in the last part of the Chunin Exams, you can be promoted to chunin even if you don't win the tournament."

"And you're going to ditch me, Ero-Sennin?" Naruto asked, unable to believe it. "Who's going to teach me for the Chunin Exams?"

"Relax, Naruto," Jiraiya laughed. "The first three parts of the Chunin Exams will take place over the next week, so I'm going to come back before the last part. All of the genin are given a month to train for the fourth phase, so I'm not abandoning you. Now, before we finish the last part of our training, I need to give you a gift."

"What kind of gift?" Naruto asked. "Is it something that'll make me stronger?"

"It's a temperature seal," Jiraiya explained. "As you know, the temperature of your body and the internal energy has a lot to do with your speed, as well as your reaction timing. And the best part is that this seal works for shadow clones and so, if you accelerate particles of a particular limb and set it on fire as a result, they won't disperse as a result."

"Wow, that's cool," Naruto exclaimed, jumping up. "I would be able to increase my resistance to cold temperatures and hot temperatures, without having to adapt. Thanks a bunch, Ero-Sennin. Quick, show me how to do these."

Over the next half an hour, Jiraiya taught Naruto how to cast temperature seals and they were quite similar to gravity seals although had more digits in them. Since the blonde had a knack for fuuinjtusu, he was able to understand the mechanism of the fuuinjutsu Jiraiya was teaching him and used it in the first twenty minutes. The last ten minutes, Naruto was trying to place the temperature seals on his body so that a simple tap would activate them. "Enough of that, Naruto," Jiraiya called. "Now it's time to do the final thing before I say bye for a week."

"What's that, Ero-Sennin?" Naruto asked.

"The Summoning Jutsu," Jiraiya answered. "You've signed the contract but it's time you learned how to do this jutsu. Follow after me..." He taught the Boar-Dog-Bird-Monkey-Ram sequence to Naruto and had the blonde do the jutsu by gathering up his chakra.

"Alright, here goes," Naruto said, going through the hand-signs. "**Summoning Jutsu.**" He slammed his palm into the ground, where a large sealing structure appeared and smoke clouded the place. When it cleared, a small toad with orange skin was sitting there. "Hi," it said. "My name's Gamakichi and I'm a boy." Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked at Jiraiya.

"Hey, Ero-Sennin," Naruto said. "Where's the large city-buster toad that you said would come? I did all of the hand-signs correctly."

"That's my dad, dude," Gamakichi piped up. "His name's Gamabunta and the family of toads is called the Gama family. I was born a few months ago so I'm not very large but just give me a few years and I'm going to be larger than my dad. Oh, hey Jiraiya-san." He smiled at Jiraiya before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, causing Naruto to stand there with a shocked expression. A _toad _had just given _him _the determination talk?!

"You don't have the chakra needed for this," Jiraiya explained. "To summon Gamabunta requires something else since he's almost on par with tailed beasts."

"Are you kidding me, Ero-Sennin?" Naruto yelled, glaring at him. "I have the most chakra in the village, more than even you, so how can I not 'have the chakra needed.'"

"You misunderstood me, Naruto," Jiraiya smirked. "I just said you don't have the chakra needed for this so how could you assume that I was referring to the amount of chakra you have? What I meant, kid, was that you need a more powerful chakra to do the Summoning Jutsu for Gamabunta. Not quantity, quality!"

"How do I make my chakra stronger?" Naruto asked. "Do you have any chakra-strengthening seals, Ero-Sennin?"

"Yes, I do," Jiraiya said. "You don't need them, though, so it doesn't matter. You have two different types of chakra, Naruto. Your regular power and the Kyuubi's power."

"I can use that chakra?!" Naruto exclaimed, startled. "Why would I want to use it? It's so hateful and evil."

"There are different ways in which you can use the Kyuubi's chakra," Jiraiya said. "When your life is in danger or you're really angry, you will go through several transformations as the Kyuubi's chakra flows through you and you'll gain some of its animalistic features. However, you can also ask the Kyuubi for chakra or it can lend it to you in some situations, where you'll simply get a red-chakra boost."

"Can't I use it by myself?" Naruto asked. "I don't feel like asking the fat fox for chakra or having him save my life. Definitely not the latter since I don't want to look like a half-demon half-human freak." _A ton of people in Konoha already think that, _Naruto thought and he resisted the urge to kill the mob of villagers that still didn't like him but didn't say anything due to Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Sarutobi.

"You can't use it by yourself yet but in the future, you might," Jiraiya answered. "You need to release the gates holding the Kyuubi and defeat it in combat, separating its chakra. Then, you'll be able to use its chakra without asking the Kyuubi or having it save you. Naruto, make sure you keep your temper in check because not only will you get some animalistic features, you'll become more and more enraged. In short, you'll transform slowly into a mindless monster." He shuddered as he remembered Kushina's transformations and how even Minato had trouble dealing with her.

"Alright, Ero-Sennin," Naruto said, understanding the seriousness of the matter. He didn't want to hurt his friends or prove the villagers right in their claims. "How am I going to communicate with the Kyuubi, though?"

"Oh, that's easy," Jiraiya said. "Follow me." He disappeared with the Body Flicker, leaving Naruto to follow behind him. They appeared in a new spot and it was at the edge of two cliffs. "Here is what I'm going to do," he said slowly before without warning, the Uzumaki had been flung down the cliff. He quickly screamed out and his heartbeat thudded wildly. _THUD! _

Suddenly, Naruto was in a different spot; he was in a sewer and stood on water, which reached up to his ankle. "What the hell is this place?" the blonde said out loud, looking around. There was a growl from up ahead and Naruto decided to follow the light trail of killing intent that followed afterwards. He could withstand it, thanks to Jiraiya's training, but he could tell that it was almost as strong as Zabuza's.

Naruto stopped before a cage, which had a tag on the doors with the word 'seal.' "Is someone here?" he yelled out. There wasn't a response before a large claw came out of the gaps between the bars, attempting to maim Naruto. Thanks to his training, the blonde was able to dodge with amazing reflexes and backed away from the cage. A dark, sinister voice began to chuckle and said, "**You've gotten strong, brat. Do you know who I am?**"

"I have a pretty good guess," Naruto said. "You're the Kyuubi no Yoko, otherwise known as the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. The same Bijuu that attacked our village twelve years ago and killed so many people." Kyuubi laughed before coming out of the darkness, revealing his face. It was the face of an overgrown fox except the whiskers and fangs were more pronounced, also having red, slitted eyes.

"**Correct, brat,**" Kyuubi said. "**I am the Kyuubi. Why have you disturbed me from my slumber?**"

"I need your chakra," Naruto snapped, yelling. "You've made my life a hell for the last twelve years and the least you can do is pay up some rent, which is your chakra. Besides, if you don't, I'm going to die any second." The Kyuubi snarled at him before giving off a roar but to Naruto's credit, he held his ground although felt a bit disorientated.

"**Impressive, brat,**" the demon said, baring its fangs. "**You've got guts if you aren't shaking in your pants, now. Very well, boy, I'm going to give you some of my chakra.**" He gave Naruto an amused growl before the blonde opened his eyes, finding himself plummeting towards the floor. He narrowed his eyes and could feel a new power coursing through him, flowing through his blood.

"**Summoning Jutsu,**" Naruto yelled and thrust out his hand, which released a large amount of red and blue chakra. There was a large quantity of smoke but four shadowy limbs shot out and Naruto fell onto cloth. He stood up slowly and realized that he was standing on top of a massive toad, which blew smoke out of its pipe. "Whoa," Naruto exclaimed, a glee smile on his face. "I DID IT! I DID THE SUMMONING!"

"**Who're you, kid?**" Gamabunta asked, staring up at him. "**Where's Jiraiya? He can't summon me for stupid things like saving him for a fall.**"

"Sorry, sir," Naruto said, rubbing his head. "But Ero-Sennin's not the one that summoned you; I'm the one that summoned you!"

Gamabunta stared at him for a moment before bursting out in laughter, causing Naruto to go bouncing around the Toad Boss' back. "**Don't kid me, brat,**" Gamabunta chuckled, his laughter subsiding slightly. "**You can't have the amount or strength of chakra needed to summon me. You seem like a harmless little genin so why don't you tell me where-**"

"SHUT UP," Naruto roared, forming a clone. Thanks to Jiraiya's recent training, he was able to create the Rasengan in a few seconds before dispelling. The original held it out threateningly to Gamabunta. "I may not look it," the blonde continued. "But I'm deadly; while you're quite big, I can easily destroy you with these!" Meanwhile, Gamabunta was in shock as he fully registered the boy's looks and features, as well as the Rasengan in his hand.

_So this is Minato's son, eh? _Gamabunta thought, laughing inwardly. _Looks like Jiraiya's already taught him the Rasengan at this age. Well, considering that he's an Uzumaki Jinchuuriki, I suppose he would be able to summon me if he used the Kyuubi's chakra. _"You don't seem like a pushover, kid," the Chief Toad said, smiling. "Since you've proven yourself to me this far, I'll allow you to summon me in battle but unless we have some sake, I ain't gonna be friends with you. NOW, SCRAM!"

"How can I do-" Naruto never finished his question since Gamabunta grabbed him with a hand and threw him away. The Uzumaki was buffeted by the pressure as he went through the air, his eyes rolling around. Giving a little laugh, the Toad Boss disappeared in a cloud of smoke as he returned to Mount Myoboku. Jiraiya was waiting patiently at the top of the cliff and smiled widely as Naruto shot into the air. Backing away to intercept the incoming blonde, the Toad Sage caught Naruto with ease.

"So how did it go?" Jiraiya asked knowingly. "If I didn't know any better, you managed to summon Gamabunta using the Kyuubi's chakra."

"Yeah, that's right," Naruto said. "BUT YOU NEVER TOLD ME THAT THIS GAMABUNTA GUY WOULD BE SUCH AN A**HOLE!" He continued rambling on how the Toad Boss annoyed him by not believing him and how the Kyuubi had been equally irritating by trying to scare the life out of Naruto. Jiraiya sighed as he realized that Naruto didn't like the overconfident attitude of Titan Summons, as Summons such as Gamabunta and the Kyuubi were called.

"Relax, Naruto," Jiraiya said, causing the blonde to calm down. "You don't have to summon Gamabunta or ask the Kyuubi for chakra unless it's a life-or-death situation. Keep a grip on your anger and the Kyuubi won't be able to force its chakra through you. Unless, of course, you're in a serious death situation and are about to be killed by the enemy."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto said. "I got all of that. That's it for today, right?"

"That's right," Jiraiya said, nodding his head. "The next time I see will be in a week and you'd better pass all of these. Look, I know that you, Sakura, and Sasuke are really bad at teamwork and Kakashi only passed you because of Sasuke offering his lunch to Sakura, but you need teamwork to pass through the second phase. If only just a bit. Oh and I wanted to tell you one last thing."

"What's that?" Naruto asked.

"I don't want you to use fuuinjutsu, barrier ninjutsu, or the Rasengan," Jiraiya said. "Before you moan, think about it. You hid your real strength for a year and you can see the results of that; keep these things hidden until the fourth phase. Got it? This means that you can't use your temperature seals, although I'm going to allow you to remove your gravity seals, just like you would in a mission."

"Alright, Ero-Sennin," Naruto said. "I won't use fuuinjutsu, barrier ninjutsu, or the Rasengan. Can I use the toad techniques you've taught me?"

"By all means," Jiraiya said. "You can use taijutsu and ninjutsu to your heart's content. Of course, that doesn't mean that you use really strong techniques on a small fry. Remember, you're trying to pass the rounds and there's no point in trying to take down all of your enemies."

"When's Kakashi-sensei going to give us the slips?" Naruto asked. "You said, during our training, that we need entry slips for the exam. When's Kakashi-sensei going to give them to us?"

"Probably tomorrow," Jiraiya said. "The day after tomorrow is when the Chunin Exams starts and you'll get the first test. Then, the next day the second phase will begin and you'll be given five days to complete it. That's a week and I should be back by then, give or take a couple of days. If I don't turn up the day after you pass the three rounds, you need to continue studying from the scrolls I've left you."

"Alright, I got it," Naruto said. "See ya, Ero-Sennin. Wish me luck but I already know I won't fail!"

"I believe in you, Naruto," Jiraiya said. "I've already told you a bit about the first three parts and I know that you can pass them. Remember to keep a cool head through them and no matter what, look out for your teammates. Don't let this turn out to be like my team where Orochimaru defected and Tsunade just lost her mind. I wish you luck even though you don't need it!" He shook hands with his pupil before both of them disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I've gathered all of you jonin here for a specific reason," Sarutobi said. "As you already know, the Chunin Exams are going to start tomorrow and only the best of the genin will receive a promotion. Team 7, 8, 9, and 10 have received ample time to consider if they are nominating their squads or not. We'll start with Asuma; do you nominate Team 10 for the Chunin Exams?"

Asuma closed his eyes and stepped forward before making the shinobi sign, which was a finger gun with the index and middle fingers pointing upwards. "I, Asuma Sarutobi," he began, looking at his father seriously, "nominate Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi for the Chunin Exams." Sarutobi nodded and wrote down his son's nomination in his notebook.

"Very well, Gai," Sarutobi said. "Do you think that Team 9 is ready for the Chunin Exams?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Gai said, making the ninja sign. While he hated formalities, this had to be done since he had already held his team back once. "I, Might Gai, nominate Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten for the Chunin Exams."

"Alright, that's two rookie teams," Sarutobi sad, writing it down in his notebook. "It's your turn, Kurenai. Do you think that Team 8 is ready?"

"I believe so, Hokage-sama," Kurenai said, also making the ninja sign. "I, Kurenai Yuuhi, nominate Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuuga for the Chunin Exams this year." Now, everybody in the room was talking since three of the genin teams were already nominated and it would be quite exciting. However, they all wanted to hear about the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and the last Uchiha.

"Kakashi, everyone's waiting for your nomination," Sarutobi said, looking expectantly at him. "Do you think that Team 7 should participate in the Chunin Exams?"

"I think they're ready, Sandaime-sama," Kakashi said. "I, Kakashi Hatake, nominate Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno for the Chunin Exams." At this, the entire room burst into talking and loud gasps since the entire Konoha 12 would participate in the Chunin Exams, against the other villages. Many began to protest that they were too inexperienced and while Iruka knew of Jiraiya training Naruto, he couldn't help but be worried since the boy had failed the Academy twice. Some chunin voiced this issue.

"I think you're right, Shizumo," Sarutobi said, nodding to the chunin. "There should be a little preliminary this afternoon to see if they're ready to take the exam. Iruka, I want you to do this. Make it on whatever you think is a suitable test of their abilities." The Sandaime had seen Iruka having doubt about Naruto's skills and wanted to relieve the pony-tailed chunin. In Sarutobi's eyes, Naruto was definitely a chunin-level guy.

"Jonin, have you told your genin about the Chunin Exams?" Sarutobi asked, coming back to the matter. He expected them to have already told their students but only Gai nodded, which wasn't surprising since he had held Team 9 back last year. "Please inform them now," the elderly Hokage stated. "They also need their entry forms for the first test. Dismissed!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, Team 7 was waiting at the bridge for Kakashi, who was late as usual. Sakura and Sasuke had no idea but after asking Jiraiya, Naruto had found out that Kakashi had lost his teammates during war and he was late everyday since he went to the Memorial Stone to talk to them. While that seemed crazy, the blonde Uzumaki realized that Kakashi needed someone, or something in this case, to spill his guts to aside from the Hokage.

Sakura and Sasuke were exactly the same; Sakura was still the useless fangirl and was trying to get Sasuke on a date with her. "Hey, Sasuke-kun," Sakura blushed, flicking her hair. She thought that Sasuke would get flustered but he remained as impassive as ever, although Naruto could see the hateful scowl on his face. It was hidden by the collar of his blue Uchiha t-shirt. "So, do you want to go on a date?" she asked, blushing even more.

"No thanks," Sasuke said briskly, turning away. Sakura's face fell and she would've become depressed if Kakashi hadn't chosen that moment to appear. He appeared in a swirl of leaves and looked at Team 7. Sasuke was brooding and turned away from Naruto and Sakura, who had obviously asked Sasuke out and got rejected from the look on her face. Naruto seemed bored and Kakashi couldn't blame him; things did seem a bit tedious but that would change with his announcement.

"Sorry I'm late, guys," Kakashi said, causing them to look angrily at him. "I had to help an old lady with groceries and she lived on the other side of Konoha!"

"LIAR," Sakura yelled, pointing her finger at Kakashi. The Copy Ninja merely ignored her and continued with his sentence.

"Anyway, I need to tell you guys about the Chunin Exams," Kakashi said, finally catching their interest. "This is an exam where you get to show people how strong you are and whether you can be promoted to chunin or not. There are strong foes coming from many different villages and I've nominated you guys for them. These are your entrance slips." He reached into his pocket and pulled out three slips with their names and the decorated 'Will of Fire'.

"Where do we go with these?" Sakura asked.

"If you want to participate, you need to be at the Academy tomorrow at 10 AM," Kakashi said. "There's no pressure here so if one of you doesn't want to do it, you can do it next year. The other ones aren't affected by this and they'll just carry on with the exam." This was a lie that Kakashi and Sarutobi had devised so that Naruto and Sasuke didn't pressure Sakura to enter the Chunin Exams, since they would probably want to participate while Sakura would hesitate.

"Anything else, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"No, that's it," Kakashi said. "There won't be any more D-rank missions today and you're dismissed." He turned and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving the genin. While they had been talking, Team 7 had moved into the village and they were currently standing at the end of a street. Without saying a word, Sasuke left them and headed off towards the Uchiha Compound. He had gotten to low-chunin level with his new number of jutsu and he had improved his taijutsu with the Sharingan.

Naruto was about to leave when he detected Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi's presence behind him. _Could they be...? _the blonde turned around and found himself looking at a rectangular box which twitched slightly ever few seconds. "Are you serious, Konohamaru?" Naruto asked, closing his eyes. "Do you really think so little of me?" There was a slight pause before smoke covered the entire box, concealing it.

"Just what I would expect from my rival," Konohamaru piped up. "My name's Konohamaru, the strongest shinobi ever."

"I'm Udon," a nerdy boy with glasses said. "I love algebra comics and strategies."

"And my name's Moegi," the girl with auburn hair and two buns said. "The sexiest kunoichi in pre-school; check me out!"

"Together, we form the Konohamaru Corps," they chorused together. Naruto was looking lamely at the performance, wondering how much Konohamaru was like him before Jiraiya's training. Sakura was not amused by the little show and she thought, _This is Naruto-baka's friends?! Stupid little kids..._

"Hey, boss, what's up?" Konohamaru asked. "You promised that you would play ninja with us. Come on, play ninja with us."

"I don't know, Konohamaru," Naruto said, unsure. "I have to train a bit for the Chunin Exams but-"

"This is so lame," Sakura growled, walking up to them. "Ninja playing ninja is so stupid. How much of an idiot can you get?"

"Sorry, Sakura," Naruto said, a smile appearing on his face. "But at least we're not as stupid as useless fangirls that chase after Sasuke." Sakura's face turned red and she realized that Naruto had just owned her badly. To make matters worse, Konohamaru passed a _really _bad comment.

"Boss, I know she's your girlfriend," Konohamaru said, poking Naruto slightly. "You and her have some serious thing going on, right?"

"That would be a long time ago," Naruto said. "For the last year, I don't like Sakura anymore. Especially since she's chasing after Sasuke-chan." Sakura gave a roar before charging at Naruto and the Konohamaru Corps, but the blonde disappeared in a gust of wind. Sakura seemed surprised but she chased after Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi. _The Wind Body Flicker Jutsu, _Naruto thought as he re-appeared behind Sakura before giving chase.

Konohamaru was getting away pretty quickly but he accidentally bumped into someone, causing him to fall. "Who's this runt?" a voice said. It was a guy dressed up like a bear although had purple face-paint. "Hey, kid," he began, grabbing Konohamaru by the collar and raising him up. "You'd better apologize for bumping into me. That was really rude!"

"H-Hey," Sakura yelled out, causing the man to look at her. Then, from behind him, a girl appeared with her hair in buns and a fan on her back. "L-Let h-him g-go o-otherwise you're g-gonna pay for it."

"Hear that, Temari?" Kankuro asked. "She's telling us to put the brat down! She looks like a complete weakling so this shouldn't be hard for you." Temari nodded and took off her fan, showing only one star.

"Make sure we leave immediately after having some fun," Temari said. "There'll be quite a lot of-"

"Hello, there," Naruto's voice boomed out across the street. Then, the Uzumaki appeared in a gust of wind behind Sakura. Everybody turned to see Naruto with his hands in his pockets and a deadly expression on his face. It caused Sakura and Moegi to blush while Konohamaru and Udon were impressed by the blonde's look. "Mind telling me why the transgender with the purple markings is holding the Hokage's grandson?" Naruto asked, settling his cold gaze on them.

"The H-Hokage's g-grandson?" Temari asked, immediately putting away her fan. Kankuro didn't seem convinced, being riled up by the 'transgender' comment, and tightened his hold on Konohamaru's scarf. Naruto sighed before he disappeared in a blur of orange and black, becoming completely invisible with speed. Temari couldn't even detect him while Kankuro caught a few traces, although it wasn't enough to catch his movement.

Naruto had released his gravity seals for a moment, wanting to test himself. He had gotten as light as a feather and soon, Naruto would keep his gravity seals on even during a mission. _These guys are slow, _Naruto thought as he ran laps around the two. _They have Sunagakure forehead protectors so they're probably here for the Chunin Exams. Shouldn't show much._

He made a fist and appeared in front of Kankuro, crouched. Before the latter could react, Naruto slammed his fist into the boy and tripped him by twisting his leg around the opponent's. "Come on, Konohamaru," Naruto said. "Back away from here." The boy nodded and stood up before running away; Temari prepared to swing her fan but a stone hit her back.

Sasuke was seen sitting on a branch, stone in his hand. "Hey, idiots," he called to Kankuro and Temari. "If you really want to fight somebody, you should have gone after me."

"Another one?!" Kankuro asked incredulously. "I need to teach these Konoha brats a lesson." He began to take Karasu off his back but Naruto interrupted him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Naruto said. "That guy in the trees looks really pissed off!" Everybody gasped, even Sasuke, at a man hanging upside down from a branch. He had red hair, black rings around his eyes, a kanji for 'Love' on his forehead, and a giant gourd on his back. While he didn't look pissed off, the guy had a serious look on his face and the others could feel the killing intent the red-haired youth directed to Kankuro and Temari.

"H-Hey, G-Gaara," Kankuro stammered. "W-We w-were just g-gonna-"

"Shut up, Kankuro," Gaara said, causing Kankuro to flinch. "You're an embarrassment to our village. Have you forgotten what we came here for?"

"O-Of course n-not, G-Gaara," Temari said. "W-We were j-just trying to-"

"Shut up," Gaara repeated, releasing a wad of killing intent. It froze Kankuro and Temari although Sakura and Sasuke weren't much better, despite not being the target of the intent. Naruto stood adamant since this was nothing compared to the amount of killing intent Jiraiya had subjected Naruto to in his training. "If you say another word," the red-haired boy continued. "I'll kill you!" They didn't say anything, completely silencing themselves.

"I apologize for my teammate's behaviour," Gaara said impassively. "I would like to know your names. Who are you?"

"Why don't you go first since you're asking," Naruto said quickly since Sasuke was about to flaunt his name.

"My name is Sabaku no Gaara," Gaara said. "As you already know, I'm from Sunagakure no Sato."

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke bragged, brooding. "I'm the last Uchiha of the legendary Uchiha clan; you'd be very unlucky to fight against me." Naruto rolled his eyes while Sakura and Moegi had hearts in their eyes. Konohamaru and Udon sweat-dropped and wondered how much of a show-off Sasuke was; Gaara remained stoic but had a glint of excitement in his eyes. "I see," Gaara said. "What's your name?"

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto said. "I'm Sasuke's teammate although I'm thousands of years stronger than he could ever be. Alright, maybe that was an exaggeration..." Konohamaru and Udon continued to sweat-drop at their idol being such a show-off. _And he calls Sasuke an arrogant show-off, _Konohamaru thought from his talks with the blonde.

"Let's settle this right here, dobe," Sasuke smirked, coming down from the branch. "You can use all of your techniques and I can use all of mine. I'm an Uchiha Elite; there's no way an no-named idiot like you could beat me."

"Sorry, Sasuke, but I don't prefer showing my opponent my moves," Naruto said, gesturing towards Gaara. "We're going to have plenty of oppurtunities to fight in the Chunin Exams, so hold your horses. See ya tomorrow, teme." He disappeared in a gust of wind, causing everybody's eyes to widen. The Sand Team was wondering how strong Naruto was while Gaara shivered in excitement at the prospect of fighting the Uzumaki. Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi were impressed at the display of speed while Sakura fumed at Naruto for showing Sasuke up. The Uchiha growled lowly and thought, _I'm going to learn that move, dobe!_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, up in the branches, Team Sound was looking at them. "What do you think?" Dosu asked his teammates. "Orochimaru-sama has tasked us to watch these guys."

"They don't look like much," Zaku said arrogantly. "I bet I could beat them up in an instant. The blonde looks like he knows a few moves though." Kin nodded since she didn't really have anything to say.

"In any case," Dosu continued. "We need to watch over the blonde, Uchiha, and the red-haired jinchuuriki. Orochimaru-sama should be a Kusa shinobi for the Chunin Exams and we're supposed to fight the Uchiha to see if he's worthy. Feel free to take care of the Uzumaki kid if you ever stumble across him!" The other two nodded before Team Sound disappeared with good speed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, Naruto and Sasuke were standing at the entrance of the Academy. It was 9:30 AM and they would have to enter in thirty minutes if Sakura didn't show up. The previous night, Naruto and Sasuke had both been attacked by a rain ninja and they had easily taken care of him. Naruto had found out that the Ame shinobi was none other than Iruka, who had been testing them. Then, Sakura entered their field of vision as she ran up to them before panting, "I'm sorry, guys. I'm a bit late." It was strange since Sakura hadn't greeted Sasuke first.

_What happened to her? _the Uchiha thought. _Well, it's good that she isn't bothering me today. I need to be at my strongest for these exams._

_Iruka-sensei's test must have affected her, _Naruto thought. _She probably didn't pass but Iruka-sensei let her go. I wonder why though; Kakashi-sensei had said that you didn't need to come if you didn't want to. _"Come on, guys," Naruto said. "Kakashi-sensei told us to go to the third floor and we only have around twenty minutes left." Sasuke grunted while Sakura nodded, surprising Naruto again. Normally, she would berate him and want Sasuke to take the lead.

When they entered the Academy and went to the third floor, Naruto immediately realized that it was actually the second floor and his teammates hadn't realized it. It was so obvious from the flight of stairs. He turned and realized that Sasuke had also gotten the fact that it was a genjutsu. On the floor, there were two guys that were currently beating up a girl with a pink-haired shirt and a boy wearing a green spandex.

"Please let us enter," Tenten said. "We just want to take part in the Chunin Exams. Why are you doing this to us?"

"You guys don't have it in you," Kotetsu answered. "Compared to us, the Chunin Exams have much more dangerous things in store. You should just give up and leave right now." Tenten was about to respond when Sasuke interrupted in a loud voice.

"How about you drop the genjutsu?" Sasuke asked. "You can't fool us. This isn't the third floor; it's the second. At least try to distort our senses with genjutsu so we wouldn't count the flight of stairs. Or maybe you can't even do that."

"So you saw through the genjutsu, eh?" Izumo asked. "But seeing isn't merely enough!" In an instant, he appeared before Sasuke and kicked out at the Uchiha, who did the same. Naruto mentally berated himself for not stopping Sasuke; they should've just continued to the third floor instead of announcing it like a complete show-off. Then, the boy with the green spandex appeared between them and blocked both of their kicks.

_Whoa, _Sakura thought. _What happened to him? He was getting beat up earlier with the girl but he stopped Sasuke-kun and the guy's kick as if it was nothing. _Naruto was thinking similarly and wondered who the boy was if he had that much strength. "There is no need for this fight," Lee said, letting go of their legs. He let out a breath before his teammates encountered him.

"What happened to the plan?" the boy with long hair and pale eyes asked. "Weren't you the one who said that we should keep a low profile?"

"I know, but," Lee turned to Sasuke and he had fire burning in his eyes. Naruto wondered if he had some sort of competition with Sasuke; he would have as well if he wasn't already much stronger than the Uchiha. Sasuke, on the other hand, was brooding and didn't even register Lee's passion, which was typical of him.

"Hey, you," Neji called to Sasuke. "You're a rookie, aren't you? What's your name?"

"You know," Sasuke said, facing Neji. "I'm not obliged to answer you. It's considered rude not to give your name before asking someone for theirs."

"What?!" Neji exclaimed, clenching his teeth. Sasuke just smirked before turning away from the Hyuuga, allowing the boy to see the Uchiha crest on his blue t-shirt. Tenten was blushing as she thought, _Both of these 'genius' types are so cute! _She wasn't a fangirl but she _was _a teenage girl and sometimes, Tenten couldn't help but act her age.

"Sakura," Lee said, causing Sakura to look at him oddly. "My name is Rock Lee. I wish to ask you out on a date. Please, come with me, for you are my eternal love." He winked at her and an imaginary heart flew towards her. Sakura gave a screech as she dodged his heart although that just inspired Lee even more, "You must be playing 'hard to get.' Well, then..." He released a torrent of flying hearts and to Naruto's surprise, Sakura managed to dodge every single one of them although she was out of breath.

_If only she trained like that, _Naruto thought, shaking his head. "Sakura, Sasuke," he called to them, causing them to look at him. "It's time to go; we only have twenty minutes until the Chunin Exams begin. We'd better reach the room fast!" They nodded and Team 7 went upstairs, leaving behind a disappointed Lee and an aggravated Neji.

"Come on, Lee, Neji" Tenten said. "We need to go now otherwise we'll also be late." She and Neji began to walk away but stopped when they realized that Lee wasn't following them. "Lee!" Neji called sharply but raised an eyebrow when Lee raised his hand.

"There's something I need check out," Lee said. "I promise I'll join you guys soon." Tenten was about to deny him but Neji shook his head so she didn't say anything. Lee took that as a confirmation and he left to the third floor, planning to learn a little bit about Sasuke Uchiha.

"So those were Kakashi and Gai's students, eh?" Kotetsu said, dropping the Transformation Jutsu. "They have very different personalities and they're quite strong."

"What did you expect?" Izumo asked, also dropping his disguise. "The Copy Ninja and the Green Beast are their teachers. Besides, remember that the Kyuubi brat was taught by Jiraiya of the Sannin. The Chunin Exams are gonna get interesting, now!" His partner only nodded and the two vanished using the Body Flicker Jutsu, so they could get ready for their proctoring part of the first test.


	8. Chapter 8

Time to show Sasuke's battle with Lee and the first test. I know you guys can't wait until the final phase, since I definitely can't. Enjoy this chapter and Naruto's not as bad at information-collecting as last time!

**Chapter 8:** _The Chunin Exams Start! The Written Test!_

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were walking across the large floor of the Academy when a sharp voice caused them to stop. "The guy with the black eyes," Lee's voice emanated. "Wait!" They turned to see Lee there, looking at them intently. Sasuke stepped forward and raised his head, wanting to hear what the spandex-wearing loser wanted to talk to him about.

"I challenge you to a fight, right here," Lee said. "Do you accept?" He raised his right hand make a 'come at me, bro' gesture and stood with his feet together. His left arm went behind his back. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the taijutsu style, identifying it as Konoha's Strong Fist._ This guy's no pushover_, the Uzumaki thought. He had a suspicion that Lee had been trying to get people to see him as weak, so he took the beating from the two.

"My name is Rock Lee," Lee said. Sasuke raised a questioning eyebrow so Gai's protégé explained. "One's supposed to give his own before asking another, right?" Lee prompted. "Sasuke Uchiha."

"So you know about me," Sasuke smirked. "You actually think that you can compare to an Uchiha Elite like me?!"

"I wish to test my moves against one from a genius clan like you," Lee said. "I've heard that you're the current Rookie of the Year."

"I'm sorry to say but you're ignorant," Sasuke said. "Challenging me despite knowing I'm from the Uchiha Clan." He stepped forward and measured up his opponent, wondering how much of an idiot he must have been to challenge him.

"I will say this now. You cannot defeat me," Lee stated. "Currently, I'm the strongest of Konoha's genin. You cannot beat me, Sasuke." Sasuke snorted and stepped forward, smiling.

"Interesting; I accept your challenge," Sasuke said. He readied himself, staring at Lee, before charging at the spandex-wearing boy. _I'm sorry, Gai-sensei,_ Lee thought as Sasuke came closer. _I might have to break my promise! I might have to use that move!_ Sasuke appeared before him and punched at him but Lee disappeared from sight. The Uchiha turned and found Lee in the air, kicking at him. He ducked the move but Lee was already coming at him with another kick.

_Shit,_ Sasuke cursed, bringing up his arms. _I can't dodge this; I need to block._ Then, Lee smirked and his kick stepped through Sasuke's defence, sending the arrogant Uchiha flying back to Sakura's feet. "Is that all you can do, Sasuke?" Lee taunted, standing straight and assuming the Strong Fist Style. "Looks like you're not as strong as everyone makes you to be, Uchiha!"

_What the hell was that?_ Sasuke thought as he slowly stood up. _His kick went through my guard. Was that ninjutsu or genjutsu?_ Naruto could see that Sakura and Sasuke were perplexed by Lee's moves but Naruto already knew that the boy was using straight-up taijutsu. Besides, he was almost as fast as Naruto with his gravity seals on and Sasuke didn't have the reflexes to keep up with him.

"You're quite skilled but it's useless," Sasuke said. He opened his eyes and revealed his Sharingan; both of his eyes still had two tomoes in them, showing Naruto that he hadn't progressed to the next level. _Yep, he's so gonna get his ass kicked,_ Naruto thought. If Lee did a fatal move, Naruto was poised so that he could separate the two before the spandex-wearing guy could cripple Sasuke. "Whatever you're doing," Sasuke continued, "I'll see it with these eyes."

_That's Sasuke-kun's Sharingan,_ Sakura thought smiling. _There's no way he can lose to a guy like this._ Lee instantly realized that Sasuke was moving far too slowly and he probably couldn't react to his speed anyway. He easily dodged Sasuke's punch and before the Uchiha could react, Lee kicked him in the cheek. He was sent flying through the air. "This isn't ninjutsu or genjutsu," Lee said. "I am only using taijutsu. That means no tricks, Sasuke." He disappeared from sight and appeared behind Sasuke.

Sasuke and Lee began to engage in a taijutsu match although it was clear that Lee was defeating Sasuke without even trying. Lee easily blocked Sasuke's blows and punched him before the Uchiha could react, and backed away. Sasuke charged at Lee and tried to elbow him but Lee just batted the blow aside before kicking him across the face, causing him to go reeling back. "I've heard that the Sharingan can see through taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu," Lee said.

"Yeah, and?" Sasuke prompted. "What're you trying to say?"

"You can definitely counter against ninjutsu and genjutsu with those eyes," Lee said. "Those shinobi arts require you to use hand-seals and knead chakra into the jutsu you're going to use. Therefore, the Sharingan can easily see through these and respond to it. However, with taijutsu, it's a little bit different."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked. "The Sharingan can see through taijutsu, as well!"

"That's definitely true," Lee said. "You can see all of my moves without issue but there is one problem. You're too slow to be able to counter me! Tell me this, Sasuke; what good is seeing your opponent's techniques with your eyes when you can't even respond to them with your body. In short, the motor neurons and effectors that are attached to muscle fibre or bones inside your body aren't working together with your optic nerve."

"You can't be faster than me!" Sasuke roared. "I'm an Uchiha Elite and we're renowned for our speed. There's no way our eyes and body aren't in sync, as you say. I'll prove it to you!" His Sharingan flared and the Uchiha discarded his bruises, attacking Lee ferociously. Lee just moved away and began to dodge Sasuke's moves, finding them slow and predictable.

"This is what I think," Lee said. "There's two different type of ninja: those like you that are geniuses and don't have to work to achieve what they want. On the other hand, there are shinobi like me that have to work everyday of our lives to improve and get what we want. Your Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan, and my thoroughly-practised taijutsu skills are the worst combination." He dodged Sasuke's last punch and kicked at the Uchiha, who immediately moved to make a guard but was too slow.

Sasuke was sent flying, soaring in the air at a great height. He tried to regain his footing by bouncing off the wall but Lee appeared behind him. "Shadow of the Dancing Leaf," Sasuke said as he realized what Lee was doing. It was a C-rank taijutsu technique where the opponent kicked the other into the air and appeared behind him with speed. It was used as a medium for stronger taijutsu techniques; _what's this guy up to?_ Sasuke thought.

"Good eye," Lee snorted. "Now, I think I'll prove my point to you. Hard work beats geniuses like you!" The bandages around his hands unwrapped and began to cocoon around Sasuke when they were pinned to the wall by a shuriken. While Team 7 was confused at this, Lee's face became grave as he realized who had arrived. _Oh man, I'm going to hear about this big time,_ the spandex-wearing boy thought as he landed back on the ground.

Naruto would have made a shadow clone but didn't want Lee to know any of his jutsu this early on so he shot into the air and grabbed Sasuke. "Put me down, Naruto," the Uchiha growled. "I haven't finished my fight with him yet!" He started to stand up but Naruto pushed him back down.

"You can't beat him, Sasuke," Naruto said, causing Sasuke to grit his teeth in humiliation. "He's spent his life training since he wasn't born into a shinobi clan like you. He has exceptional taijutsu, as good as mine, while hand-to-hand combat isn't your strong point. You need to realize, Sasuke, that your Sharingan isn't going to automatically defeat any opponent that stands against you!" Sakura tried to interrupt but Naruto froze her with a glare, releasing a little bit of killing intent. Sasuke remained silent as he realized the truth Naruto spoke.

There was a large amount of smoke next to Lee, who immediately straightened himself and bowed. When the smoke cleared, a pinkish turtle with yellow swirls was looking angrily at Lee. "What do you think you were doing, young man?" the turtle lectured. "You know that that move is forbidden! You thought that I wasn't watching?!" Lee quietly nodded at the last question, not saying anything.

"I'm so sorry," Lee said. "I got carried away. Please trust me; I wasn't going to use the Reverse version." He waved his hands comically while the turtle glared at him, disbelieving.

"You fool," the turtle said, causing Lee to wince. "Do you think that's a proper excuse? You should know that deception is a ninja's most effective tool. Yet, you were going to expose your technique to your opponent?! I expected better, Lee." He looked sternly at the spandex-wearing boy, who was standing apologetically and didn't seem like someone who would give the Sasuke Uchiha such a hard time without even trying. "Gai-sensei, please take over," the turtle said and in a cloud of smoke, a man appeared.

Team 7's jaws dropped as they saw the man, looking like an older version of Lee, expose his bright teeth. He stared at Lee for a moment before yelling, "You fool." He punched Lee in the face, sending him flying back. _W-What the h-hell?_ Sasuke thought as he saw the two hugging and making up. _I lost to a guy like this!_ He clenched his teeth and thought how useless his Sharingan had been. Despite all of the recent training he'd been doing, Sasuke's body was still too weak for the Sharingan to be used properly.

"It's okay, Lee," Gai said. "It's absolutely fine to make mistakes during youth. Never let the flames of youth diminish. Run 100 laps into the sunset!" He spoke passionately and pointed to the edge of the room, which was a sunset in his and Lee's imaginary world. Lee nodded, fire in his eyes, and yelled out, "I shall do it Gai-sensei otherwise I will do 300 sit-ups in ten minutes."

"LEE," Gai said, staring at his student.

"GAI-SENSEI," Lee said, looking equally passionately at his teacher.

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!" They stood up and embraced again, a watery background appearing in the landscape of their minds.

Team 7 was mortally shocked at the two; they looked so wrong on so many levels. Naruto wondered how weird Lee and Gai were although they seemed taijutsu specialists so they must have worked really hard. Sakura was freaked out by the two and she wanted to hide in hole since the two of them hugging and talking like that was seriously bugging her. Sasuke was trying not to puke at the scene, wondering how on earth he lost to such an awkward guy.

"So you're Kakashi's students, eh?" Gai asked, looking at them. "How's Kakashi doing? Is he still the unyouthful guy that reads those horrible unyouthful Icha Icha Paradise books." He looked apologetically at Naruto, thinking that Naruto shared the same taste as Jiraiya, but the blonde nodded to show that he wasn't offended. He didn't like Jiraiya's perverted books, anyway. Sasuke and Sakura raised an eyebrow and wondered what the books had anything to do with Naruto.

"How do you know Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. "He never mentioned you before!"

"Oh, he hasn't?" Gai said, smiling. "Well, people call us 'eternal rivals.' They say that we're destined to fight each other forever."

"That is so fake!" Sakura screeched while Naruto and Sasuke nodded. _He can't be as strong as Kakashi,_ Sasuke thought as he kept his eyes on Gai._ Kakashi's got a fully-developed Sharingan after all._ Then, his eyes widened when Gai disappeared in the blink of an eye, appearing behind the three. Naruto was also surprised since Gai's speed was quite close to Jiraiya's despite the latter being hailed as one of the Legendary Sannin. Sakura just couldn't believe how fast Gai was.

"The record stands at 50 wins and 49 losses to me," Gai said thoughtfully. "I'm stronger than your teacher, Kakashi. What can I say? Hard work does indeed beat geniuses." He smiled at them, exposing his bright teeth once more. Sasuke had changed his mind and thought, _He's definitely faster than Kakashi. I've never seen Kakashi move that fast, even against Zabuza._

"Hold on a second, Gai-sensei," Naruto said. "Wins and losses of what? Did you guys have fights or something?" Sasuke and Sakura also wanted to know and to their surprise, Lee was came closer to hear Gai.

"Not really," Gai said. "It's races, rock-paper-and-scissors and arm-wrestling. Kakashi is a mighty unyouthful fellow and he never wants to fight with me. That hip and cool attitude of his..." He continued talking about how Kakashi was so boring and always wanted to have little games like rock-paper-and-scissors. Still, Naruto was quite impressed that Gai had 50 wins and 49 losses even if you excluded the rock-paper-and-scissors part. He would have to talk to Kakashi and Jiraiya if he could take some taijutsu spars from the man.

"I'm sorry Lee caused you some trouble," Gai said. "But I hope it's nothing that will hinder you. You should head to the classroom now or you'll be late. Good luck, everyone. Work hard, Lee!" He disappeared in a cloud of smoke and the turtle behind Lee also disappeared in smoke; Naruto saw the scars and cuts on Lee's hand, which the spandex-wearing boy quickly covered with his bandages.

"Sasuke, I need to tell you something before I go," Lee said, causing them to look at him. "Earlier, before our fight, I lied about something. I'm not the strongest of Konoha's genin yet. The one who is the strongest is in my team; that fellow you asked for your name. I entered this exam to beat him as well as becoming chunin. Prepare yourself for the exam!" He turned and disappeared in a burst of speed.

"Looks like the Uchiha Clan isn't that great, after all," Naruto said. "He beat you so easily, Sasuke." He wanted to get Sasuke to acknowledge the fact that Lee had worked hard to reach his level of strength, not unlike Naruto.

"Shut up!" Sasuke grunted. "Next time, I'll slaughter him. I just need to get used to my Sharingan." But Sakura and Naruto both knew that Sasuke wasn't anywhere close to beating Lee with his taijutsu.

"Did you see his hands?" Naruto asked, causing Sasuke's eyes to widen. The Uchiha had seen Lee's scarred and cut hands, which the boy hid quickly with his bandages.

"WHAT DOES THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS, NARUTO-BAKA?" Sakura yelled but Naruto ignored her, not wanting to waste killing intent on her.

"Lee's trained like crazy, every day," Naruto said before looking at Sasuke. "More than you definitely. That's all there is to it." He turned away and waited for Sasuke, who was wondering if training and effort was the only difference in their abilities. He made up his mind and smirked, surprising Sakura while Naruto also smiled.

"Well, it looks like the Chunin Exams are going to be interesting," Sasuke said. "There's a lot of strong people here. Let's go, Naruto, Sakura." This time, Sasuke led the group to the entrance.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I was wondering when you would come," Kakashi said when they arrived. He was reading his book and leaned against the wall. "You only have over five minutes to go inside. From Sasuke's shape, it looks like you've realized the tough competition that's going to occur here. It's good that all of you came otherwise there would have been a problem."

"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. "You said that if one of us didn't want to come, he or she didn't have to. Why would there have been a problem?"

"Actually I lied to you guys," Kakashi said, causing their eyes to narrow. "If one of you didn't come, the entire team wouldn't be allowed to participate. The reason I didn't tell you this was because I didn't want any of you to feel pressurized to come. For example, if Sakura didn't want to come and I told you of this requirement, you two might have forced her to come."

"That makes sense," Naruto said, relaxing. "Anything else you want to tell us, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes, just one thing," Kakashi said, going back to his reading. "Remember: a ninja must look underneath the underneath. Tread with deception, being true shinobi, and don't fail to use your enemy's weakness against them. Aside from that, you just need to be careful and don't trust anybody! You can go now!" Sakura and Sasuke nodded and went through the double doors.

"Naruto," Kakashi said, causing the blonde to halt. "I truly believe you can become a chunin. Keep a calm head and even though Sasuke and Sakura can be annoying, use their help! I believe in you, kid." Naruto smiled and nodded before entering through the double doors, leaving Kakashi there. _He's just like you, Minato-sensei, _Kakashi thought. The jonin stood there for a moment before disappearing in a blur to join his fellow jonin.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They entered the room and were surprised to see the number of people participating in the Chunin Exams. "W-Wow," Sakura said, overwhelmed. _Are all these people taking the Chunin Exams?! _she thought as she scanned through the enormous crowd. _They all look so threatening and strong! _There were several genin that were looking at them, evil smirks on their faces while the others just glared at them. Then, there was the sound of loud foot-steps before Ino jumped on Sasuke and said, "Hey, Sasuke, how are you? We haven't talked in such a long time. I couldn't help but feel excited."

"Get your hands off Sasuke-kun, Ino-pig," Sakura roared, pointing a finger at her. "If you don't, it's going to be bad for you."

"Oh, it's you, Forehead," Ino laughed, sticking out her tongue. "You're still just as ugly and unattractive. You didn't change, did you?" Sakura just glared at her, fire in her eyes.

"Man, you guys are also taking this troublesome exam?" Shikamaru asked while Choji munched on his crisps.

"Hey, Shikamaru," Naruto said. "How's it going?" The Nara raised an eyebrow and he couldn't help but be surprised that Naruto hadn't made a stupid comment. To be honest, he liked the new Naruto and he wouldn't have wanted the blonde to change back into his dumb version again. "Nothin' much," Shikamaru answered, giving a light grin.

"Oh, it's you guys," Kiba said, walking up to them with his teammates. "It's been a long time, eh?" Akamaru woofed on his head while Kiba smirked arrogantly at them. Hinata looked at Naruto before blushing while Shino just remained stoic and impassive, not saying anything.

"Well, if it isn't Naruto-baka," Kiba laughed as he said that. He expected Naruto to yell at him but Naruto just stood there and didn't lose his cool. The blonde raised an eyebrow before giving his comeback.

"I wouldn't be talking if I were you, Kiba," Naruto simply said but Kiba's face reddened. Ino looked impressed while Shikamaru and Choji raised an eyebrow, not used to Naruto's calm persona.

"You're not even worth a fight, Naruto," Kiba said, turning to Sasuke. "How far do you think you'll get, Sasuke? Probably not far." At the Academy, Kiba used to score one of the highest after Sasuke and he had developed a rivalry with the Uchiha, despite not being on his team.

"You seem quite confident, Kiba," Sasuke smirked. "I hope it's not misplaced."

"Dude, we've been training our butts off," Kiba laughed. "We're not gonna lose to you or anybody else!" While he talked, Choji had been looking at Akamaru and wanted to eat the dog. He stepped forward but Shino stood in his way.

"What do you want?" Choji asked. Shino didn't say anything but pointed to something on the ground. The Akimichi looked and found a small beetle travel across the ground. "You want to eat that?" Choji asked, not understanding why Shino would save the insect unless he wanted to eat it.

"I didn't want you to step on it," Shino said. "Otherwise, there would be a problem."

"Oh, really now?" Choji said, smiling at Shino. "What kind of problem would you pose, huh?" He almost never showed attitude but it occurred now and then. Shino remained silent but he didn't move, showing that he wasn't intimidated by Choji. The Akimichi gave up and backed away, munching on his crisps.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What do you think, Shizuka-sama?" Tokiwa asked. "Do they look strong to you? Do you think one of them is Jiraiya-sama's student?" The Konoha 12 were currently in front of them, bickering together. They must have been new rookies that just graduated from their Academy, showing how inexperienced they were. As Shizuka scanned through them, her eyes fell on a certain blonde before moving on.

"It's possible," Shizuka said. "I really wish that Sarutobi-sama had given us _some _information on him. Now, I don't know who exactly I should be looking for."

"This sucks," Naomi said. Shizuka had picked her since only three-man, or women in this case, were allowed in the teams. Besides, except Tokiwa and Shizuka, Naomi was the strongest kunoichi in Nadeshiko Village. Several of the ninja were looking longingly at them but they froze when Shizuka released her killing intent. Most of the genin there were really weak and didn't look like they would be a challenge to Team Nadeshiko.

"Well, we need to find some strong men," Tokiwa informed Naomi. "While Shizuka-sama has to find Jiraiya-sama's student, we are tasked with finding shinobi strong enough to marry."

"Aren't we too young for that?" Naomi asked, her inexperience showing. "I'm only twelve while you and Shizuka-sama are thirteen. I thought we could only marry when we're sixteen or seventeen?"

"That's true," Shizuka said. "But there's nothing wrong with dating and making a relationship, which will eventually bloom into love. And for me, it's all the more important that I do this." She looked away but Tokiwa and Naomi both knew that she was thinking about her merchant lover, Sagiri, who had died due to the laws of their village.

"Shizuka-sama," Tokiwa said, causing the girl to turn her head slightly. "You need to move on and find love. You can't always-"

"That's enough, Tokiwa," Shizuka said. "I've already told you my opinion on this and that won't change. Anyway, I think you should focus more on these exams instead of my problems." Naomi didn't say anything but she noticed the disappointed look on Tokiwa's face as Shizuka turned her head back and returned to her thoughts.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What puny genin!" Fu laughed as she looked at the assembled Konoha 12. They were a bunch of brats that didn't look like they would put up a challenge aside from one or two. She looked at a black-haired youth with sharp black eyes and a blue t-shirt with a symbol on the back. _So he's the famous Uchiha everybody's talking about in Takigakure, _Fu thought.

"Hey, nee-chan," her teammate and surrogate younger brother, Ichiro, grinned. "Don't you think that these Konoha genin look seriously weak? I bet we could beat them without a second thought."

"Don't be so sure, Ichiro," the boy's older brother, Yukio, warned. "For example, there's that Uchiha kid over there and even Takigakure knows that he's the last loyal Uchiha. And there's also the blonde kid."

"Seriously, Yukio?" Fu teased her surrogate older brother. "You think that the blonde's stronger than you?"

"I don't know for sure, Fu," Yukio glared at her. "But there's something different about that blonde kid. Don't bluff to me, I know you can feel it to. I don't know why but he's a bit like you and that Suna kid."

"He can't be a jinchuuriki," Fu murmured. "He doesn't have any dark qualities to him. He's too cheerful..."

"So are you, nee-chan," Ichiro argued. "Besides, those guys could be a good fight for us. They seem quite strong."

"Maybe but I want you to let Fu handle the blonde," Yukio said. "And let me handle the Uchiha, alright. You can take care of these other Konoha brats since they don't interest me at all." Ichiro looked disappointed but he just nodded, turning his attention to a butterfly.

"Your ability never ceases to amaze me, Yukio," Fu said. "I will still never understand how you got the blonde being a jinchuuriki when you've only been a sensor for a few months."

"Have you forgotten my natural talent?" Yukio boasted. "Besides, I've hung around you so long that I've gotten used to your chakra and that blonde kid's got a really similar signature. I put two and two together. Then there's also the fact that the Suna kid has a similar chakra signature and we've already established he's a jinchuuriki. Smart, right?"

"As if," Fu snorted. "You're still an idiot. Where are the others?" She was referring to the other Taki teams, since she couldn't see them from her point.

"They're somewhere over there," Yukio pointed. "To be honest, I wouldn't really care if they died during these Chunin Exams. After everything they've done to us..." Fu nodded before they talked about a different topic.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey, you guys," a man with white hair said, walking up to them. "You should really keep the volume down. The people here are getting disturbed by it; you've made quite an impression. Aren't you the nine rookies that just graduated from the Academy?"

"What's it to you?" Ino asked. "Who are you, anyway?" She didn't like the fact that a guy like this was telling them off; her father, Inoichi, had spoiled her a lot when she was younger.

"My name is Kabuto Yakushi," Kabuto said. "Take a look around you. Everybody's tense since it's right before the Chunin Exams. We have around five minutes before the first exam begins. The ninja behind you, Team Ame, have short tempers and your introduction has set them off. But I can't blame you; you guys remind me of myself when I took this exam."

"So this is your second time?" Sakura asked.

"Nope," Kabuto said, smiling sheepishly. "Since the Chunin Exams are held twice a year, this is my seventh time and my fourth year." They all gasped as they realized that Kabuto had been disqualified six times over the past three years.

"That means that you know a lot about this exam," Sakura said. "You're an expert!"

"He hasn't even passed," Shikamaru said. "Are the Chunin Exams really this hard? Man, it's gonna be troublesome..."

"Maybe I should help you guys with these," Kabuto said, taking out a set of orange cards. "These are my intel cards and I keep information of genin on these. They're blank but if I pump my chakra into them, the information will start to appear. They're made like this so that none other me can use this; there's about 200 cards in total. So, do you have anybody you want to search up?"

"I do," Sasuke said, starting towards him. "Gaara of the Desert, Rock Lee of Konoha, and... Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha." Everybody's eyebrows shot up at that since they weren't expecting the Uchiha to ask for information on his own teammate. _He shouldn't be interested in the dead-last's skills, right? _everybody except Sasuke and Sakura thought. Naruto was wondering how Kabuto could have gotten information on them; there was something weird about the guy.

"You already know their names? That's no fun," Kabuto smiled, going through his cards. He picked one and pushed chakra into it, causing information and a diagram to pop out. "Alright, let's start with Rock Lee of Konoha," the white-haired man said. "He's a year older than you and his team was formed the previous year. Lee has done 20 D-rank missions and 11 C-rank missions. His sensei is Gai and his teammates are Neji Hyuuga and Tenten. His taijutsu is exceptionally good and he has satisfactory weapon-throwing skills although he has no known ninjutsu or genjutsu."

"Let's continue to Gaara," Kabuto said, looking at the other card. "He has quite a track record for missions: Gaara's done eight C-rank missions and one B-rank mission. That's amazing for a genin! While I don't have any of his skills or abilities, there is something very unique about him. Apparently, he's returned from all of his missions without a single scratch."

"W-What the heck?!" Shikamaru exclaimed. "He went on a B-rank mission and didn't get even a scratch! Are you sure he's genin?"

"It seems so," Kabuto said. "His sensei is Baki and his teammates are Kankuro and Temari. He must be one of Suna's top shinobi, just like all of the other ninja here. You'll find shinobi from Konoha, Suna, Oto, Ame, Taki and Kusa all participating here. They're top notch ninja selected by their villages and we need to show our strength. Although Oto is a small village and nobody knows about them; they're a mystery."

"Alright, we get it," Sasuke said, impatient. "Read out Naruto's card! We haven't got all day, you know."

"Okay," Kabuto said, looking at Naruto's card but it was immediately snatched away by Naruto. "Hey! Give that back." The blonde ignored him and looked at the information listed on him: completed 7 D-rank missions and 2 A-rank missions. His sensei was Kakashi and his teammates were Sasuke and Sakura.

He raised an eyebrow when he looked at the 'Skills' section. It showed that his taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu were amazingly good and comparable to a chunin's. It also showed that he knew fuuinjutsu and barrier ninjutsu to a proficient level. _How did this Kabuto guy learn so much? _Naruto thought. _This information shouldn't be with him. _"Sorry, Sasuke," Naruto said as he crunched up the card. "I'm afraid that you won't be able to find out about me. Hey, Kabuto, how come you have this information about me despite the fact I haven't taken the Chunin Exams before and we haven't met."

"Well," Kabuto said. "You see, I-" He didn't finish since Team Dosu attacked him at that moment. Zaku charged at Kabuto although he quickly dodged back, causing Dosu to charge at him with a sound-enhanced fist. While the white-haired ninja was able to dodge the punch, his glasses broke and he collapsed to the ground, coughing up some blood.

"That should clear some of the mystery," Dosu said. Zaku and Kin laughed at that. "Put this in your ninja cards; the shinobi that are going to become chunin are from Otogakure." Naruto growled and would have stepped forward to teach them a lesson when a loud, authoritative voice rang out.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" Ibiki said, flanked by two jonin. "You from the Hidden Sound, behave yourselves. You can't fight here unless I say so and even then, the use of lethal force is strictly prohibited. AM I UNDERSTOOD, OTO TEAM?"

"Yes, sorry, sir," Dosu said, although his tone suggested otherwise. "It's our first time and we're a bit jumpy. I hope you can overlook this." Zaku nodded, the arrogant smirk still on his face. Kin just stood at the side, not showing any emotions. Ibiki looked at them for another moment before addressing the entire crowd.

"ALRIGHT, KIDS," Ibiki's voice emanated, silencing everybody. "This is the first stage of the Chunin Exams. My name is Ibiki Morino and I will be your proctor for Phase 1. We're going to start immediately and you need to get out your entrance slips. When we take you to the exam room, you will sit on the seat with the number that's on your entrance slip! ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?" Nobody said anything so Ibiki just smirked and added, "Good! Follow me, brats."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Now, there are a few rules before we begin," Ibiki said. They were now in a large classroom and everybody had their exam papers turned over. When Ibiki would give the signal, only then they would be allowed to start the test. Naruto was getting worried; while his strength had increased due to Jiraiya's training, he wasn't sure he could pass a written test despite reading the jutsu composition scroll, which usually had basic mathematics such as multiplication and elimination.

Sakura and Sasuke had similar thoughts running through their minds. _This is bad, _Sakura thought. _The baka's never going to pass this. I hope he's gotten smarter too! _Sasuke was hoping that Naruto would get at least one question right otherwise it was most likely that he and Sakura would have to answer all questions to make up for Naruto, if this test was anything like the Academy. _Dobe, you'd better not get us disqualified before the fighting phase, _the Uchiha thought, cracking his knuckles.

"Alright, pay attention," Ibiki said, causing everyone to give him their full attention. "I won't repeat myself a second time. Rule 1: contrary to what you're used to, you all begin the test with a total of 10 points. One point will be deducted for every wrong answer. Rule 2: teams will pass or fail depending on the total scores of all three members of the team." This caused many people to start talking and didn't bode well with Sakura.

"This doesn't make any sense!" Sakura screamed. "You're saying that we get marked as... a team?!"

"SILENCE," Ibiki thundered, silencing her. "I have my reasons for this. So shut up and listen! Rule 3: the sentinels positioned around this room are there to watch you carefully for any signs of cheating. Be warned; their eyes are extremely sharp and every time they catch you cheating, they will deduct 2 points from you. Therefore, if you're caught cheating five times, you'll be disqualified even if you answer all of the questions correctly."

_Man, this sucks, _Naruto thought. _It's as if there's no way to keep your points! Especially for me. _He put his head in his hands and despaired while Hinata looked at him worryingly, disappointed that Naruto hadn't noticed her yet. She was sitting right next to him, after all. "Anyone foolish enough to be caught cheating doesn't deserve to be here," Ibiki continued, looking at all of the genin present. "If you want to be considered chunin material, then show us what exceptional shinobi you can be."

_Okay, relax Sakura, _Sakura thought to herself. _I know I'll do good and Sasuke should be fine with written tests. If Naruto gets a zero and we do good, we should pass this... _"Oh and one more thing," Ibiki said, smiling. "If one of your teammates should get a zero and fail the test, then the _entire _team fails." Sasuke's eyes widened while Sakura screamed out. Naruto just gulped and slumped into his seat, feeling sick.

"There are only nine questions on your paper," Ibiki said. "The tenth and final question will be given at the end of this examination. You have a total of one hour to answer these nine questions. Good luck and you may... begin!" Immediately, scores of genin turned their tests around and started to answer the first question, reading it out. Ibiki chuckled lowly before leaving the room and the sentinels scanned through the genin, smirking.

Naruto looked at the first question and read out the question in his mind, _If Shinobi A is on a five-meter-tall tree and shoots a wind jutsu that crosses two-hundred meters before hitting Shinobi B. 1) Calculate the air pressure the wind jutsu would experience as it goes towards Shinobi B and 2) explain how his height is a problem for the wind jutsu's velocity. 3) Describe what would happen to the air pressure countering the wind jutsu if Shinobi B was underground (seven-meters). _The blonde was alarmed at the type of problems since it required good knowledge on trigonometry and mechanics. He began to answer the problem, finding it difficult even after reading Jiraiya's jutsu composition scrolls.

Sasuke was surprised to see Naruto and Sakura busy writing and stared at the first question. He had expected Sakura to be able to know a little bit about this stuff since she was excellent at mathematics and physics at the Academy tests. But he wasn't prepared for Naruto and wondered how the blonde could even understand the problem. _The dobe's probably doodling or drawing; t__his is far too advanced for a genin, _the Uchiha thought. _I can't understand a single one of these problems. _He clenched his teeth as he read the second question, which was anything but harder than the first.

_This is seriously difficult, _Sakura thought. _Every question is harder than the last one and I thought the first question wasn't easy. There should only be a few genin other than me who can answer these questions. _She turned and saw Naruto writing things down but she dismissed the idea as the Uzumaki was probably doodling or drawing something on his paper. Little did she know that the blonde had already answered the first part of the first question, going on to the second part.

_There's something weird going on here, _Sasuke thought as he analysed the entire situation. _Why do they make such a fuss about cheating instead of the test? Besides, these questions are so hard. It's like they **want **us to cheat._ He looked at a sentinel, who took that moment to write something down. Sasuke realized that somebody had just got two points deducted. _There's also that, _the Uchiha thought. _Why do they only reduce two point for cheating? It doesn't make any sense unless... OH THAT'S IT. _Sasuke face-faulted as he realized the secret meaning of the written test, which made sense from Ibiki's words: they were supposed to cheat without getting caught!

_I just hope that Naruto realizes that, _Sasuke thought. _Dobe, stop doodling and use your brain! _He sighed and laid back in his seat, looking at the clock. The written test would go on for another forty minutes so he would allow another fifteen minutes before starting the operation. Sasuke looked around and realized that all of the rookies had realized this and were sitting back, relaxed. The Uchiha hoped that Naruto realized the hidden meaning of the test before he got a zero and Team 7 failed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fifteen minutes later, everyone's engines started and the operation began. Gaara thrust out his hand and sand collected around it, forming an eyeball. _So Gaara's figured it out, eh? _Kankuro raised an eyebrow before looking at a sentinel. _I'm counting on you, Karasu. _Gaara's eye rose and peered at other peoples' answers, letting the Suna jinchuuriki copy them down. Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Akamaru woofed at Kiba and the Inuzuka got the answers. "Good boy," Kiba smirked. "Now for question 4." Akamaru looked around at another person's test before communicating with Kiba, giving him another answer.

Dosu closed his eyes and focused on the sound waves from the person sitting behind him. He was skilled enough to learn all of the answers from the vibrations and rhythm of the pencil taps. _This is way too easy, _Zaku thought, smirking. He was doing the same thing as Dosu and managed to copy down at least three answers to the first three questions. Kin followed soon after and used the same technique to gather the information. _What a stupid test! _She thought.

Meanwhile, Shion's insects were looking at the answers of another genin before buzzing off to the Aburame. Shino held out his finger and the bug landed on it, relaying all of the information it had collected. "I see," Shino muttered and took his pencil. He began filling out his empty paper with the answers but didn't notice Tenten adjusting the mirror on the ceiling so she could copy off him.

Lee, who was idly sitting by, looked up and saw Tenten's mirror. She was controlling it using her ninja wires so he adjusted his hitai-ate around his forehead and wrote down the answers from Shino. Tenten eventually finished copying and released the wires, causing them to fall quickly and without anyone noticing. Neji smiled, relieved that his teammates had filled their papers to a degree. He activated his Byakugan and saw through the body of the genin in front of him with his Visual Prowess, looking at the paper. Taking his pencil, the Hyuuga prodigy wrote down the answers.

_People should be almost done now, _Sasuke thought. He opened his eyes, revealing the Sharingan. Looking around, the Uchiha spotted a genin who was filling out his questions and would be the perfect target. Focusing his Sharingan on the guy, Sasuke expertly copied every move of his finger and imitated them perfectly. Ino smiled as she saw Sakura work through the test without faltering. _Alright, Sakura, _she thought. _Looks like you do have a brain behind that oversized forehead of yours. I think I'll get it to work for me... with my Mind Transfer Jutsu._

Ino, now inside Sakura's body, looked over the answers and tried to memorize as much as she could. _I need to get these to Shikamaru so he can use his Shadow Imitation Jutsu. _Once she had learned a lot of the answers, Ino pulled out of Sakura's body and did the jutsu on Shikamaru, writing the answers down on his blank sheet of paper before pulling back. "Man, Ino's just is so troublesome," Shikamaru said to himself, rubbing his head after regaining control. "Looks like I need to get these answers to Choji. Troublesome!"

_This must be Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation Jutsu, _Choji realized when he felt his hand move on his own. He looked to his left and caught Shikamaru's nod, confirming his suspicion. The Nara traced over the answers Ino had provided him with and due to the effectiveness of the Shadow Imitation Jutsu, Choji was able to write down all of the answers on his blank question paper. "Okay, I'm good," Choji said to himself and felt Shikamaru's shadow retracting, returning control of his body to him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto growled in exasperation; he had spent so much time on the first question and the second question was even harder. Besides, Naruto wasn't even sure if he had answered the first one correctly. _I need to cheat, _the blonde thought. _These questions are too hard and I'm pretty sure they're expecting us to cheat if there's only a two-point deduction for every cheat. _He closed his eyes and wondered what he was going to do when he heard Hinata's voice from next to him. "U-Um, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata said, causing Naruto to look at her. "I-If y-you w-want, you c-can c-copy my a-answers."_  
_

"Are you serious, Hinata?" Naruto asked, ducking his head so the sentinels wouldn't hear him. "What if you get into trouble?! I don't want that for you." Hinata's eyes widened as she realized that the Uzumaki cared about her.

"B-But y-you're g-going to fail i-if you d-don't answer m-more questions," Hinata stuttered. "I d-don't m-mind you copying." To emphasize her point, Hinata moved her paper towards him and Naruto could see the many answers she had written. _Maybe I should do this, _Naruto thought. _She's being so nice by offering her answers and I'm being an idiot by not taking it._

"Alright, Hinata," Naruto whispered. "I'm going to do it. Let's see-" Before he could lean in to see the answers, a kunai whizzed past his ear and embedded itself in a genin's test. Naruto could feel his heart pounding as he realized that he could have been the one to get that kunai.

"Stand up," a sentinel commanded. "You've been caught cheating five times so you're disqualified. Take your team with you. NUMBER 23, FAIL!" He wrote it down before looking at the other teams.

"D-Don't w-worry, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata said. "Y-You w-won't g-get c-caught. Y-You can l-look!" She tapped the paper to prove her point so Naruto was tempted again. He was about to copy her when another sentinel's loud voice broke the silence.

"NUMBER 67, FAIL!" the sentinel grinned. "Take your team and leave in silence. You've been caught cheating five times in a row."

"How do you know that?" the genin shouted. "You can't see all these things. You have no proof that I've cheated five times and-" He never finished since the sentinel slapped him against the wall before placing his hand on the genin's throat, causing him to choke.

"I'm sorry, buddy," the sentinel said, grinning. "But we don't make mistakes. That's why we got this job. Our eyes are always following you and you've cheated five times in a row. Now take your team and get out of here otherwise there's going to be trouble." The genin immediately got up and left the classroom, escorted by his teammates.

Naruto gulped and looked to his nearest sentinel, Kotetsu, who was watching him with interest. Kotetsu saw one genin cheating and immediately wrote it down as his fourth try cheating, deducted another 2 points from him. _I can't do this, _Naruto realized. He turned to Hinata, who was confused, and said, "Sorry, Hinata. I appreciate you for doing this but I can't do it. I seriously don't want to meet the consequences; don't worry about me. I'm going to cheat and get this done in another way."

"W-Well t-then, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata stuttered, blushing. "I-I h-hope you're successful in d-doing that." Then, she turned and went back to her test. Naruto clenched his teeth and thought, _That was my last shortcut. Okay, time to cheat like a boss! _He thought about how he would cheat and decided on using his signature technique, the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which was perfect for this purpose.

Naruto realized that the tables were perfect for this assignment since they completely covered everything from waist down. "**Shadow Clone Jutsu,**" the blonde whispered and Clone Naruto popped into existence, although Naruto restrained the smoke since it would alert the sentinels in no time. Then, before anybody could notice, Clone Naruto made a Ram seal and said, "**Transformation Jutsu.**"

Naruto quickly looked up and around to see if anybody had spotted him. The sentinels weren't looking at him and everybody was busy with their tests so Naruto knew that he wasn't in any trouble. Clone Naruto had transformed into a small spider and he crawled over to a genin to his left, several desks away. Clone Naruto came to a stop and saw all of the answers to the questions. "Stupid spider," the genin muttered before bringing his fist down on it. What he didn't realize was that after he had killed it, the spider had vanished.

_Ha, sweet, _the blonde thought as Clone Naruto's memories came to him. _I should have done this before! It's not nearly as hard as I thought. _He wrote down the answers to the questions the genin had answered before putting his pencil to the side and relaxing, giving Hinata a smile. "I told you, didn't I?" the blonde said confidently. "You didn't have to worry about me, Hinata." The Hyuuga blushed and nodded, not saying anything.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shizuka and her team were experiencing a massive problem; they didn't have any information-collecting ninjutsu. Shizuka and Tokiwa had realized the purpose of the test in the first ten minutes, with Naomi understanding in fifteen. But they didn't have any techniques other than their combat skills, making them useless for a situation like this. The three eventually decided that they would have to rely on the tenth question to pass the first phase of the Chunin Exams.

On the other hand, Fu, Yukio, and Ichiro had information-collecting techniques and this wasn't hard for them. "**Summoning Jutsu,**" Fu whispered, putting her finger on the desk. Underneath her finger, the Summoning Jutsu seal appeared and a butterfly appeared. Due to the Nanabi being a Bijuu butterfly, Fu had a Summoning Contract with butterflies. Without communicating, the butterfly understood her wishes and went to a genin to see his answers.

_So Fu used her Summon, huh? _Yukio smiled. Even though Fu hadn't mastered the Nanabi's power, the Seven-Tails still allowed her to use its Summoning Contract since the two were growing friends. He made a Hare seal before whispering, "**Hiden: Blue Spy Jutsu.**" Then, the genin before him was momentarily dazed and his hand turned blue, showing Yukio's control of the man's nerves.

He moved his hand and the genin did the same with his hand, pushing his question paper into Yukio's view. Yukio copied all of the answers before he had the genin push his paper back into his regular position before cancelling his jutsu. The great advantage of his technique was that his target never remembered anything.

_Looks like Yukio-nii and nee-chan are already on the move, _Ichiro thought. _There's only __fifteen minutes left so I'd better hurry. _Like his brother and Fu, Ichiro also specialized in secret jutsu and he had the perfect one to gather intel. "**Hiden: Eye Slave Jutsu,**" Ichiro murmured, making a Rat seal. Similar to his brother, the genin before him went limp for a second before opening his eyes and Ichiro could see exactly what the genin saw. He looked at the answers and memorized them as thoroughly as possible before cancelling his technique.

Fu's butterfly came back and told her all of the answers. The green-haired jinchuuriki jotted down the answers without fault and thanked the butterfly for its sevices, before it disappeared. Since she didn't want to get points deducted, Fu purposely had the butterfly disappear without smoke. She closed her eyes and entered her mindscape, finding the Nanabi looking at her with its buzzing wings. "Hey, Nanabi," Fu greeted, smiling. "Your Summoning Contract's coming in handy."

"**I'm glad, Fu,**" Nanabi said. "**I wanted to talk to you about the other two jinchuuriki in the exams. How much do you know about them?**"

"There's the Suna kid," Fu said. "He's seriously weird and keeps talking about his 'Mother' and how he wants to validate his existence. I mean, I've been treated badly in Takigakure but I never lost my mind like that guy. Something tells me that he's seriously unstable and the Ichibi's seal isn't holding."

"**That's true,**" Nanabi said. "**Therefore, if you ever encounter him, don't be afraid of using my power. It is so Yukio and Ichiro can survive, do you understand?**" Fu nodded quietly; the last time she had used the Nanabi's power had resulted in transforming into a mindless monster and nearly hurting Yukio and Ichiro. If anything happened to them, Fu wouldn't be able to live with herself. "**Good,**" the Seven-Tails said. "**Now tell me about Kura-the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki.**"

"He's a blonde guy," Fu said before pausing. "I know next to nothing about him, not even his name. I should really get to know that guy better since we've shared a similar burden. But he seems really cheerful, even more than me, and I didn't think that was possible. Any idea why, Nanabi?"

"**No idea,**" Nanabi said. "**But it could just be that he has people he wants to protect and he hasn't lost his mind because of that. Tell me, does Shukaku's jinchuuriki have any friends?**"

"No way!" Fu said, causing the Nanabi to raise its head. "He even talks badly to his own brother and sister, his teammates. Every time they tell him to do something or ask him something, the Suna kid gets angry at them and threatens to kill them. And they don't do anything but obey! I don't get why, though."

"**The power of a Bijuu is frightening,**" Nanabi said. "**There's no doubt that they're scared of the power the Suna kid possesses. I would talk to you more but you need to finish this exam. Bye, Fu.**" The green-haired girl nodded before her eyes opened in the classroom. She glanced at the clock, which showed that there were less than ten minutes left before the exam finished.

Kankuro raised his hand, causing one of the sentinels to look irritably at him. "What is it?" he asked.

"I need to go to the toilet," Kankuro replied, smiling amiably. "It's really urgent; I can't hold it back."

"Really now," Kotetsu said, raising an eyebrow. He looked at a pale sentinel, who was actually Kankuro's puppet, and said, "Take him to the toilet."

"Of course," the fake sentinel said. He took a pair of handcuffs and cuffed Kankuro in them before saying, "We need to take these precautions just in case."

"Absolutely understandable," Kankuro said, not dropping his smile. His puppet snorted before taking Kankuro to the toilet.

As the puppet master enlightened himself, Kankuro laughed and said, "The security here really sucks. I can't believe they didn't notice that there was one more in their staff." After finishing his leak, Kankuro took the test information from Karasu before they headed back to the classroom.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Everyone, put down your pencils," Ibiki declared, causing everyone to stop. "Your hour is over and now, it's time for the final question. The tenth question!" Many genin, who hadn't figured out the meaning of the test or didn't have information-collecting skills, sat forward to hear it. Team Nadeshiko was one of them and Shizuka was waiting patiently for the question. _This is it, _Sakura thought. _The final obstacle! _Meanwhile, Temari was getting worried that Kankuro wouldn't make it in time.

"But before we begin," Ibiki said, causing them to look at him. "There's a few more rules you need to be aware of." Shizuka rolled her eyes while Tokiwa sighed. Naomi raised an eyebrow at the torturer. Then, the doors of the classroom opened and Kankuro stepped in with Karasu, who was disguised completely as the sentinel once again. "Ah, you made it," Ibiki said, smiling. "I hope you found your trip to the toilet enlightening."

_Shit, _Kankuro thought, sweating. _He saw through Karasu. He's onto us. _"What're you waiting for, then?" Ibiki asked. "Take a seat so we can begin the tenth question. Hurry up!" Kankuro let out a small breath of relief before walking to his seat, leaving a small tablet with the information to Temari. Only Ibiki and the other sentinels caught the movement. "These rules are unique to Question No. 10," Ibiki said. "Listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It's so quiet without the rookies around," Kakashi said to Asuma and Kurenai. He sipped his Coke before adding, "I almost miss them."

"Don't worry," Asuma smirked. "Chances are that they'll be back sooner than you think." Kurenai raised an eyebrow while Kakashi asked the question.

"Why?" Kakashi asked. "The first phase is supposed to be the easiest."

"I guess it is," Asuma admitted. "But I've heard that their examiner of the first phase is none other than Ibiki."

_Man, _Kakashi thought, relaxing back. _Already their chances of passing are slim. _"Great," the Copy Ninja said. "They had to stick the rookies with that sadist right off the bat."

"What sadist?" Kurenai asked, confused. "Who're you guys talking about?"

"I forgot you were a new jonin, Kurenai," Asuma laughed. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have had to ask that." He tapped his cigarette with his index finger.

"Okay," Kurenai said. "So I'm ignorant. Who is he?"

"I guess you could call him a specialist," Kakashi replied, thinking how he could explain to Kurenai who Ibiki was without creeping her out.

"Oh really," Kurenai said. "In what?"

"Interrogation and... torture," Asuma explained, causing Kurenai to frown. "Of course, he's not going to be torturing anybody physically in the Chunin Exams. He won't need to, anyway. That's not his thing; no, Ibiki is an expert in torturing the mind. He's the head of the ANBU Interrogation Department of Konoha and they say that in most cases, the people he was interrogating were scarred for life afterwards. That man is Ibiki Morino." Kurenai had a look of horror as she imagined her team; Kiba and Shino could probably endure but Hinata definitely couldn't. Kakashi just chuckled as he saw the expression on her face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Rule 1," Ibiki said, addressing all of them. "Each of you can chose whether you want to take this question or not. It's your own decision and you're not obliged to answer." Several genin had cocked eyebrows while Team Nadeshiko had disbelieving looks on their faces. _What kind of a rule is that?! _Naomi thought. _Of course, we're going to take the question! _However, Shizuka and Tokiwa were more restrained since they suspected that Ibiki had more to say.

"Wait a minute!" Temari yelled. "So what's the catch?! Let's say that we don't want to do it. What then?"

"You're going to fail," Ibiki said, simply. "It doesn't matter if you got the other nine correctly. If you don't take this question, then you and your teammates fail the Chunin Exams."

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!" Ichiro shouted. "Then of course, we need to take this question. There's no choice in the matter." Several genin agreed with him but were silenced when Ibiki started to chuckle.

"You haven't even let me finish," Ibiki said, the smile never leaving his face. "If you decide to take this question... and answer it incorrectly, then you fail the Chunin Exams and won't be able to participate in the Chunin Exams _ever again!_" At this, the face of every single genin fell since they couldn't believe the choice that Ibiki was giving them.

"That's bull, man!" Kiba roared, pointing a finger at Ibiki. "What kind of a bogus rule is that?! There's loads of people that have taken the exam before." Akamaru barked just to emphasize Kiba's statement.

"You're right," Ibiki admitted, chuckling. "But this year, you have me as the examiner. I guess it's just bad luck; I wasn't making the rules before but now I am. If you don't want to take the question, you can leave and come back next year but if you take it and get it wrong, you'll never come back here!" The scores of genin choked and gasped as they heard that although Shizuka just face-palmed.

_As if he has the power to do that, _Shizuka thought. _This is probably just a guts question where he wants to test our determination. _She turned and saw that Tokiwa and Naomi had reached a similar conclusion, and they nodded at her. Team Nadeshiko sat back and waited for Ibiki to give them the question. Eventually, a lot of hands rose and the sentinels disqualified team after team.

"NUMBER 27, FAIL!" A sentinel cried out.

"NUMBERS 55 AND 62, FAIL!" Kotetsu yelled out.

"NUMBERS 44 AND 71, FAIL!" Izumo shouted.

"NUMBER 3, FAIL!" A sentinel exclaimed. This continued for a while and teams began to leave the classroom, not having the guts to take the tenth question. They decided that the risk was too high and they would rather take the Chunin Exams the following year. However, while Sasuke and Naruto weren't going to quit, Sakura was having doubts. She didn't want to take the question and then fail; that would crush Sasuke-kun's dreams and despite the fact she didn't like Naruto, his dream would end as well.

_I can't let you guys do this, _Sakura thought. _Sasuke-kun, Naruto-baka! _She couldn't believe that she was going to do this but Sakura began to raise her hand. The sentinels leaned forward, waiting for her to fully raise it. Fu realized that the blonde was on the same team as her and she couldn't believe that they were about to be disqualified. Then, everyone was startled to see Naruto raising his hand. "N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, not believing her eyes. Naruto kept his hand up for another second before slamming it down on the desk, surprising everybody.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN INTIMIDATE ME WITH YOUR STUPID RULES," Naruto roared. "I'M GOING TO TAKE THIS TENTH QUESTION AND GET IT RIGHT. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF I GET IT WRONG AND CAN'T TAKE THE CHUNIN EXAMS. I'M STILL GOING TO BECOME HOKAGE, ONE DAY! MY NAME IS NARUTO UZUMAKI AND I NEVER GIVE UP." He glared at Ibiki, releasing some of his chakra. Ibiki's eyes widened as he saw Naruto's chakra take the shape of a burning fire: the Will of Fire!

"Are you sure about this?" Ibiki asked. Everybody's eyes were on Naruto and Ibiki, now. "This decision could change your life. If, for any reason, you would rather quit, this is your last chance."

"No way," Naruto said. "I never go back on my word. That's my nindo, my way of the shinobi." He crossed his arms and laid back, smiling. All of the teams were surprised by Naruto; they couldn't believe how determined the boy was. Yukio and Ichiro were impressed by the boy's guts and resisted the urge to clap for him. Sasuke sighed and thought, _He's got guts, I'll give him that! _Shizuka was mesmerized by the blonde, absorbing every detail about him. She hadn't analysed him before and she began to see little details like his biceps, height, and the courage he had just shown. _He's just like you, Sagiri, _Shizuka thought. _If I wasn't engaged to Jiraiya-sama's student, I would definitely fall for him._

Fu and the Nanabi were surprised by Naruto; they had definitely never seen such a determined and pure-hearted jinchuuriki before. _**I told you, didn't I?**_Nanabi's voice came. _**He's like you in more ways than one, Fu.**_The green-haired girl could only nod as she stared at her fellow jnchuuriki and compared it to the stoic one at the other end of the room. She shivered when she saw the frown on Gaara's face. _Naruto, huh? _Fu thought. _I would love to fight him._

_Damn you, Uzumaki, _Gaara thought. _How do you do it? How are you so... free? _Gaara's entire life had been dictated by the seal he carried and nobody had become friends with him due to the Ichibi. He had come to love himself and only fight for himself. _Mother wants your blood, Uzumaki, _Gaara thought, trying to suppress the bloodlust that was threatening to overwhelm him. Inside him, Shukaku was getting excited at the prospect of fighting his brother. Taking a deep breath, the red-haired youth managed to control himself although Temari and Kankuro looked fearfully at him.

_Remarkable, _Ibiki thought as he registered Naruto's statement. _That little outburst has given everybody some backbone. He's inspired them to stay... he's definitely your son, Minato. _He walked up to the front of the classroom and realized that there were still 78 teams left, which was more than he had expected. Ibiki looked at the sentinels, who all nodded at him.

"Alright, then," Ibiki said, talking to the genin. "Since none of you are leaving, there's nothing but one thing left to do. And that's for me to tell you: for all those remaining, you have successfully passed the first stage of the Chunin Exams." He smirked when he saw every genin's jaw drop and their pencils fall to the table. _I don't think anybody except me will get the tenth question, _Ibiki thought.

"Hold on a second!" Sakura said, standing up. "How did we pass? What happened to the tenth question?"

"There was no tenth question," Ibiki said, laughing at their confused faces. "Although you could say that your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question." Sakura sat down but another loud voice shot out.

"What about the other nine questions?!" Temari shouted. "Are you saying that they were just a waste of time?"

"No, of course not," Ibiki said. "The first nine questions were very important since they tested your information-gathering skills. I also wanted you to realize how your actions or, I should say, lack of actions would affect your teammates. Team dynamics, as you all know, are very important for a ninja and I wanted to see that. I've seen at least one form of teamwork from each team today.

"I'm sure you realized that the questions were far too difficult for a genin to be able to answer and you had to cheat you get the answers. You all employed your own techniques to gather the intel when you realized that the test required cheating. Of course, it wouldn't be any use if you didn't know who had all of the answers so I had several chunin sit in the exam, possessing all of the answers. But there were some genin that knew the answers so you didn't all use the chunin I positioned.

"Those who were caught cheating were failed," Ibiki said, taking off his hat. "If you're going to cheat, you need to do it well. Information can be the most valuable tool in combat; how well you can gather info can determine whether you succeed or fail with the mission. Sometimes, as chunin, you need to risk your life to get information and you need to have a reliable source, otherwise it can jeopardize even the village." Everybody recoiled and gasped at the sight of Ibiki's ruined head, which sported rupture wounds, punctures, cuts, bruises, burn marks etc.

"Okay, I get that," Temari said. "But I still don't see the point of the tenth question. What was that for?"

"The tenth question was the most important part of the test," Ibiki explained. "As I said before, the purpose of this test was to test you how you coordinate as a team. Question No. 10 gave you two choices, both very difficult to choose. You could either play it safe and decide not to take it, coming back next year to become chunin again. Or you could try to answer it and if you failed, you wouldn't become chunin ever again.

"Let me give you a hypothetical mission that will make it easier for you to understand this," Ibiki said. "For example, imagine that you're given a mission to steal a secret document from an enemy stronghold. You don't know how many shinobi the enemy has or how heavily armed they are. Furthermore, you have a suspicion that the enemy is expecting you, so they're prepared. Would you rather pass on this insane mission since it's too much of a risk or would you ignore that and take it anyway?

"Being chunin, you can't avoid danger and you need to take the risk. You don't think about what could happen if you don't succeed and only keep your mind on the goal. These are the qualities needed to become a chunin. Those who choose the safer of the paths, those whose determination falters in the face of necessity, those who would put their comrades' lives in jeopardy by thinking only of their own, those who would rather save their own necks at the price of sacred honor, will never be able to call themselves chunin!

"Well, there's nothing else for me to say," Ibiki smiled. "You've successfully passed the first part of the Chunin Exams. The first gate is now behind you and I wish you luck for the second. Congratulations and good luck!" Naruto cheered, causing several ninja to either sweat-drop, grin, or get annoyed at him. Lee admired the blonde's determination, reminding him of his own flames of youth. The Uzumaki seemed like him, training rigorously and never giving up.

Then, the window exploded into a pieces as a missile came through. It expanded and blocked Ibiki from view, revealing Anko. She was wearing her usual fish-net shirt, shorts, trench coat, and ninja arm-guards. Her banner read: 'Here comes the sexy and single proctor of the second part of the Chunin Exams.' Everyone sweat-dropped since it was most likely that Anko was a pervert. "You're early," Ibiki informed her, stepping out of the banner. "As usual." She hung her head, disappointed, before noticing the number of people there.

"Ibiki, you let this many genin pass?!" Anko asked. "Your test was too easy! You must be getting soft in your old age."

"Or maybe," Ibiki sighed, "there's a stronger lot of genin this year." He looked at Naruto, which wasn't missed by Anko, and winked before turning back to the Snake Mistress.

"It doesn't matter, anyway," Anko said, smiling. "By the time I'm done with them, more than half will be eliminated. This should be fun; alright, listen up you maggots! Your jonin senseis will tell you where to meet me tomorrow. You'd better not be late since I hate people like that. Be there at 10 AM sharp and prepare for the worst. Dismissed!" She licked her lips, causing a horde of genin to immediately leave to get away from the creepy Tokubetsu jonin.


End file.
